Memento (2001)

Directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Stephen Tobolowsky, Callum Keith Rennie, Harriet Harris, Jorja Fox, Kimberly Campbell, Larry Holden. [R]

Ex-insurance investigator Pearce is trying to solve and avenge his wife’s murder; easier said than done, though, since not only has he been suffering from short-term memory loss since the incident, but he’s also being manipulated by those around him who know they can exploit his handicap. Nonlinear narrative presents its story in reverse-order fragments, in addition to black & white inserts that date even further back, and it’s a testament to the intriguing layers of truth, repression and guilt in writer/director Nolan’s script and the tactful innovation of Dody Dorn’s editing that the gimmick holds up by virtue of creating an unusual but effective way to unfold and wrap up a mystery. Plot holes are apparent even on the first viewing, and revisits emphasize that the narrative isn’t as engrossing without the element of confusion and revelation, but the tragic context of the otherwise routine storytelling (if reshuffled to flow in a linear fashion) should still keep ‘em coming back for more. Based on a short story by Nolan’s brother, Jonathan, which was being written at the same time as the script.

82/100