Memento

Analysing the opening sequence

The film memento was released in 2000 and was directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Jonathan Nolan, and the stars included Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano. In this film the main character who is Guy Pearce suffers from short term memory loss after him being hit over the head when his wife was under attack. Guy who plays the character Leonard uses a variety of notes, tattoos and photos to hunt for the man who he thinks killed his wife.

The word memento can be described as keepsake or souvenir of remembrance of the past. In the film Leonard keeps a selection of photo cards in his hand so he can look at them and constantly remind himself of who is who and whether he knows them. In addition, the character has a number of tattoos on his body which show facts about his killer, such as his name and what he does so he doesn’t forget. The pictures and notes are the mementos as they keep the character constantly reminded of past events.

The title of the film is shown at the beginning of the film and is shown in a blue font with a black background which contrasts well. Then as the time moves on, the intro is a shot of a man sitting there which a photo in his hand and as he shakes it, it begins to fade away. This shot can suggest that the photo is a memento and as he shakes it his memory is being lost and fading away. In addition, it can imply that the photo is the only thing he has left, and it’s incomplete as the image is slightly faded and the audience can’t see the whole picture anymore. Although the title of the film is shown just at the beginning, the continuous showing of his ‘mementos’ refer to the title of the film.

The setting of the film is not established to the audience early on as the intro of the man shaking the photo takes up quite a lot of time. This can make the audience feel anxious and un-peculiar, as it is strange and the audience may question why is a man shaking a photo. In addition the audience are not shown the setting and location early on, because it can lure the audience in and make them want to carry on. Also to begin the majority of shots are displayed in black and white, this can also make the audience uneasy and can add to the physiological thriller atmosphere. Then the audience are shown with a quick glimpse of a man dead on a floor, the shot is set up so the audience can’t see the character’s face but the back of them with blood up the walls and over its back, which can make the audience tense and concerned to what may happen in the future of the film. As the character was introduced in this strange and incomplete way, it can suggest that he is incomplete, and it can leave the audience questioning whether there is something wrong with him, and can foreshadow something later on in the film.

Key props used in the film are the mementos, for example Leonard (the main character) constantly carries his notes and photos around with him, as they help him remember things. Additionally the character also has another key prop which he carries around with him and that is a gun. The gun can make the audience fear and become apprehensive, as Leonard may kill someone accidently and not remember who he is killing and whether he actually did kill someone.

Throughout the film camera work is effectively used and then made better by editing. An example is close up of a shot reverse shot, this shot shows the man’s face and he’s expressions but then reverses to a man lying dead on the floor. This use of the camera can suggest that Leonard had killed the man on the floor, as the camera only shows them to. This can then instantly set a mood for the rest of the film and make the audience have impressions of Leonard, as psycho, killer and a mental case. Furthermore, successful editing was used when Leonard was having flashbacks. This was effective has the audience automatically known that he was having a flashback, and the editing and effects had made it add an apprehensive, hesitant and chaotic atmosphere.