by Marcy Dermansky

Joe Pantoliano and Guy Pearce. Maybe they're friends, maybe not -- I can't remember...

Christopher Nolan's Memento is like no other movie I've ever seen. Based on a short story written by his brother, Nolan tells a story backwards from the point of view of a man who can't remember the beginning of a conversation by the time it ends.

Memento opens with a murder: more specifically a bloody Polaroid shot of a dead man. This gives nothing away, because Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) who is holding the picture of the dead man, looks at the picture, and he doesn't remember. You soon learn that Leonard Shelby has a condition: he has no short-term memory. Leonard Shelby's only mission in life is to avenge the rape and murder of his wife. This proves to be difficult, considering that he doesn't remember where he lives, doesn't remember the so-called friends who help him: a seemingly compassionate bartender, Natalie (Carrie-Ann Moss), and his irritating friend Teddy (Joe Pantoliano).

Join the Discussion "Wasn't it cool? And the director set up the backwards sequence right from the start with the Polaroid." Nancy Martin Basile

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This is fascinating stuff and it works. The film is told backwards. Each new scene explains what you saw before; if you think you almost understand what is happening, Nolan takes you back, and it's time to think again. Just enough information is provided to keep you with the film. More importantly, as the viewer, you are in the exact same place as Guy Pearce. You watch him scramble, you feel his confusion. You try to remember for him.

Guy Pearce delivers a stunning performance. He is both vulnerable and hard as he explains his condition again and again to people he meets. The pain in his face when he can't remember is palpable.

The film is shot in both black and white and color. Black and white takes you forward, color takes you backward. If you don't understand the intricacies of the plot, don't worry. Carrie-Ann Moss says she had to reassemble the screenplay in chronological order to understand what's going on. It's not the plot that carries Memento. It's the mood, and the expression on Pearce's face, the writing on his body.

Memento already has huge advance buzz. It's got at an incredible gimmick, an attractive cast, and a young, hip new director. Nolan, thirty-one, half English/half American, is being touted as film's next big thing. He's set to remake Insomnia starring Al Pacino and Hilary Swank. He won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance, and the film was a hit international festivals, Memento has the potential for a true Indie cult hit. Believe it or not, there is already buzz about an Oscar nod for Guy Pearce--and that's next year.

MPAA Rating: R (for violence, language, and some drug content)
Director and Screenwriter: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Guy Pearce (Leonard Shelby), Carrie-Anne Moss (Natalie), Joe Pantoliano (Teddy), Stephen Tobolowsky (Sammy Jankis), Mark Boone Jr. (Burt), Jorja Fox (Catherine Shelby)
Distributor: Newmarket Film Group

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