This week we spent both classes watching Memento. The movie’s story wasn’t linear, instead two stories were shown simultaneously one starting at the beginning of the plot and one starting at the end of the plot, and both meeting in the middle. The story moving forward in time was shown in black and white, and the story moving backwards in time was shown in color. There were other hits to help viewers decipher at what point of the plot they are watching. Some of the hints include what tattoos he has and what condition his car is in.
The movie was about a man, Leonard, who had a condition. His condition didn’t allow him to retain new memories for more than a few minutes since his serious head injury. The way the movie was structured allowed viewers to see his life through his perspective. The colored scenes like I mentioned before worked backwards chronologically. So like him, we don’t know what has previously happened. Watching the movie for me was slightly confusing, but almost more vulnerable feeling because I didn’t know how to perceive the characters since I knew so little about their past. In class, one person used the word isolated and I agree. When Leonard woke up in a hotel with no recollection of what he was doing or where he was, I too didn’t know anything. As he looked at his tattoos for what to him seemed like the first time, I too looked at them for the first time.
In class we compared Leonard’s brain to a computer. His condition seemed to have reduced his brain to a machine. Things go into his brain, and are spit out, but nothing stays, nothing is stored in memory. He does remember feelings and emotions, when he wakes up, he remembers he wants revenge on his wife’s killer. One question this movie brings up is what is left, what remains of a person when their memories are gone?