{"id":203599,"date":"2021-03-16T19:16:24","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T16:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/christopher-nolans-memento-and-the-unreliable-image\/"},"modified":"2021-03-16T19:16:24","modified_gmt":"2021-03-16T16:16:24","slug":"christopher-nolans-memento-and-the-unreliable-image","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/christopher-nolans-memento-and-the-unreliable-image\/","title":{"rendered":"#Christopher Nolan&#8217;s &#8216;Memento&#8217; and the Unreliable Image"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#Christopher Nolan&#8217;s &#8216;Memento&#8217; and the Unreliable Image<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\">\n                <\/aside>\n<p><!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 3.7.9--><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Christopher Nolan<\/strong> is hailed as one of modern cinema\u2019s most successful puzzle-makers. In the perplexing <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inception<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2010), he broke cinematic grounds by considering the murky relationship between dreams and reality. Similarly, in his recent blockbuster, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tenet<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2020), Nolan rejects ideas of linear time entirely in a manner that most viewers aren\u2019t able to fully grasp on a first watch. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nolan\u2019s second feature, <\/span><strong><i>Memento <\/i><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(2000), clearly set the precedent for the director\u2019s complicated storytelling sensibilities. Told backward, the movie eagerly disrupts linear time. Because of its bold and novel framework, it is often considered to be concerned with the out-of-order timeline gimmick before it is concerned with anything else. But where <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Memento<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s complications really lie is in its understanding of the image, and how that image is affected by solipsism.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Memento<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> opens on Leonard (<strong>Guy Pearce<\/strong>) killing a man who is later revealed to be a cop named Teddy (<strong>Joe Pantoliano<\/strong>). Sequentially speaking, this is the last thing that h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ens in the story. But the events leading up to this pivotal moment are revealed backward, so viewers only gain insight into the murder\u2019s true inception right before the credits begin to roll. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout the movie, the audience learns more and more about Leonard\u2019s character. He lived a relatively normal life until, one night, two unidentified men broke into his house, raped and seemingly killed his wife (<strong>Jorja Fox<\/strong>), attacked him, and subsequently gave him brain damage that left him unable to form new memories. So, the last thing Leonard remembers is his wife being murdered. Everything after that, he forgets after ten minutes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order to remedy his nonexistent memory and hunt down his wife\u2019s killer, Leonard uses mementos \u2014 namely, photographs and tattoos \u2014 to remind himself of his objective. Because of this, he not only meticulously weaves a narrative for himself but also for the film audience, too. When watching a movie, an audience tends to presume that what is being presented to them is truthful. Or, at the very least, is not deceitful. But when it comes to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Memento<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, these are not realistic expectations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leonard ultimately bases the majority of his life after his accident on a meager <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of images. This, in turn, makes him less reliable as a narrator and causes his narrative to be one that is highly subjective. He is driven by a very limited supply of information that he has no real reason to doubt. But, while this is a valid analysis of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Memento<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s protagonist, viewers often fail to consider that they are ultimately just as unreliable as Leonard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-364194\" src=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Memento-Dont-Believe-His-Lies.jpeg\" alt=\"Memento Dont Believe His Lies\" width=\"800\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Memento-Dont-Believe-His-Lies.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Memento-Dont-Believe-His-Lies-768x321.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed, when watching a movie, the first image often informs the remainder of that movie. This only makes sense, as the audience has nothing else to go off of, so they trust it unquestioningly. In <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Memento<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it\u2019s the image of Leonard murdering Teddy. And so, as it is revealed that Leonard\u2019s wife has been murdered and that he is hell-bent on revenge, the audience does not question that Teddy is her killer. Instead, they just wonder what truths led him to that conclusion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And this is one of the reasons that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Memento<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is such a compelling allegory for filmmaking itself. The cinematic medium often presents materials with an air of assumed objectivity; the camera is set up in the middle of the action, and that action unfolds in front of it. But this is necessarily just an illusion. Indeed, these images are curated carefully for the audience, just as Leonard, unbeknownst to himself, curates his own twisted treasure hunt.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When looking closely, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Memento<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> doesn\u2019t shy away from investigating the trickery of filmmaking. Sporadically, there are scenes of Leonard narrating his experience in a motel room, which play forward. These scenes are stylistically divergent from the rest of the movie, as they are in black and white. Already, this is a jarring effect that takes the viewer out of their perceived \u201creality,\u201d especially in contrast with the multitude of scenes that have already been in color. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition, these scenes fall under the pretense that they are part of this separate film noir, with a dramatic, almost parodic voiceover, cool, dark aesthetics, and a mysterious crime plot. Not only do these scenes feel out of place visually, but also thematically. They remind the viewer that their experience is being tailored to manipulate them, just as Leonard ultimately manipulates himself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/0Op_tlDc4BM\">the end of <\/a><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Memento<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it becomes clear that Leonard is indeed the director and manipulator of his own life. Teddy reveals to him that he was a cop on his wife\u2019s case and led Leonard to the guy who killed her (though she did not actually die), and allowed him to exact his revenge. Despite having done this, however, Leonard\u2019s memory issues did not allow him to receive the needed emotional catharsis he needed \u2014 at least not for more than ten minutes. Thus, he was doomed to remain on this infinite hampster wheel of retribution. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, Teddy used this to his own advantage and sent Leonard on cat-and-mouse chases to hunt down criminals on the pretense that they are his wife\u2019s killer, and do Teddy\u2019s dirty work for him. When Leonard learns about this arrangement, he is enraged and decides to frame Teddy as his next victim, which will not only fulfill his anger toward him but also satisfy his need to feel as though he is perpetually on the hunt for his wife\u2019s killer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leonard\u2019s need to repeatedly unconsciously craft his own narrative mirrors a filmmaker\u2019s way of subtly hiding clues under their seemingly straightforward film. Leonard leaves clues for himself in the form of polaroids and tattoos in order to trick himself, just as Nolan intentionally misleads his viewer by not allowing them to think there is any other option than that the protagonist is one on a quest for justice \u2013 and if he follows all of the given clues, the moral scale will finally be balanced. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The viewer begins <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Memento<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Leonard\u2019s head, and so they trust him. Just as he trusts himself. But the irony is that he is his own worst enemy. So he falls victim to himself, just as the audience falls victim to the director who ensnares them in a web of a narrative, of which he only allows them to see a small portion.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/memento-movie-unreliable-image\/#utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=memento-movie-unreliable-image\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Christopher Nolan&#8217;s &#8216;Memento&#8217; and the Unreliable Image&#8221; Christopher Nolan is hailed as one of modern cinema\u2019s most successful puzzle-makers. In the perplexing Inception (2010), he broke cinematic grounds by considering the murky relationship between dreams and reality. Similarly, in his recent blockbuster, Tenet (2020), Nolan rejects ideas of linear time entirely in a manner that&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":203600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Memento-Ending.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[15545,82405,98020,65499],"class_list":["post-203599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-christopher-nolan","tag-guy-pearce","tag-joe-pantollano","tag-memento"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203599\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}