Memento

I saw the most amazing movie last night. I have long been encouraged by friends to see Memento, but the cover made me think it was a horror movie and I delayed. I finally saw it and I am enthralled. It is not a horror movie, instead its a sort of detective thriller. The plot itself is... unique. I'm not sure if its even worth discussing the plot because it depends so much on the way it is presented. The plot twist takes place halfway through the story.

Let me explain. The first scene in the movie is the last in the story. The next scene is in black and white and is the first scene of the story. The next scene is the scene immediately before the last scene of the plot. It alternates back and forth, color then black and white. Let me explain another way. If the story is in 10 chronological chapters, you watch then in this order: 10, 1, 9, 2, 8, 3, 7, 4, 6, 5. Once the "future" and the "past" as it is easy to refer to the color and black and white sections, get close, a "past" scene fades into color and you watch it continously from there. Do not assume that this is most of the movie. Only the conclusion is done that way. Practically the entire movie is edited in this swapping form. Most of the real action is done in color, while most of the black and white is sort of backstory.

Why is the movie edited this way and how does it contribute to the plot? The main character suffers from a condition where he cannot make new memories. He remembers everything that happened before the "incident," but anything after that fades within a few moments. He write notes to himself, mostly on the back of polaroid photographs. His other form of "communication" with himself are the tatoos he has of the most important notes. I won't tell you what they say, or what the conflict is, its not too terribly relevant to realize the brilliance of the movie. I will just say the hero is looking for someone. Because most of the actual plot happens in color, and thus "backwards," you know as much as the hero about what happened five minutes before. Several times a scene begins with the hero asking himself why he is doing something, which is revelealed in the next color scene. But until then you have as much of an idea as to what happened in the previous time, as the hero does. The format may seem cumbersome, and it very well could have, but it was brilliantly pulled off.

The brilliance is truly giving the viewer a sense of not knowing what happened a mere minute before, just like the hero.

The plot is very messed up. There are hilarious scenes, that are only possible because of the editing, but these are the exception. The movie deals with violence and drugs and language is present, though I wouldn't say any are excessive. Due to the editing, this movie requires more concentration in order to figure out what happened. It is one of those movies you watch and then immediately want to watch again so you can understand all that happened. Like I said, the plot is messed up. It's not disturbing in the way that you feel sick after you watch it, but there are scenes that you cannot believe a character just did what they did. Because of this I cannot recomment the movie to everyone. On the other hand do not get the impression that this is an emotionally difficult movie to watch. It simply requires a greater concentration than most movies, and is not light.

If you are interested in a truly original artistic movie, executed in a near flawless manner, go watch Memento. In what other movie is the plot twist halfway through the storyline?