Directed by Christopher Nolan

IMDB: Users of IMDB have it 8.5/10 stars Quixoboy felt it was ‘Addictive and fun to figure out’ –

this is a key aim of thriller films and it was therefore successful in the genre

However Charles_LePoje felt we should ‘forget about it’ as it was a ‘dull movie with no emotional core’

Empireonline: Empireonline gave Memento 4/5 stars as it was

‘Genuinely perplexing and disturbing but still a thrill for true film lovers […] compelling and fascinating’

2002 AFI Awards USA: Screenwriter of the year: Christopher Nolan

2002 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films,

USA: Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film

2002 Academy Awards nominated USA: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the

Screen: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan

Memento is a memory inside a memory, complex story Leonard is trying to get revenge for his wife's murder. He suffers from a condition of short term memory loss and

has to write himself notes everyday. However these then mean nothing to him once he falls asleep

The film travels back in time to show each piece of the mystery as he tries to find the murderer

The plot runs along a phone call Leonard has where he talks about Sammy Jankis who thought he had the same condition

The film has a plot twist as we find out the two characters have a lot more in common than we first thought

Guy Pearce – Leonard Shelby

Carrie-Anne Moss – Natalie

Joe Pantoliano – Teddy Gammell

The plot is extremely complex as the narrative is told in reverse from a murder. This leaves the audience confused and trying to figure out what is going on, also leading to them becoming engrossed and continuing to watch the film

The main character is also very complex, he suffers from short term memory loss. This means the plot becomes extremely confusing when he forgets key aspects of the case

Crime and murder are key themes throughout. This is typical of thrillers as it gives exciting, suspenseful but also complex plots

Begins with a close up of a Polaroid photo of a dead body, this close up continues for about 1 minute while the photo slowly disappears. This is building suspense as the audience want to find out more about the situation

The scene then moves to a shot of the man holding the Polaroid, and from there you see the dead person on the floor. The murder is then reversed as we see a man shoot another

Polaroid photo – takes a long time to develop and therefore leaves the audience waiting, therefore creating suspense. It also seems very disturbed as the murderer is developing a picture of someone he has just killed

Scars – The first man we see has scars on his face, this shows the audience that he has previously been in danger but is not phased/scared by what is happening

Gun - shows the he committed the murder before we see it happen, this also indicates crime will play a large role throughout the narrative

Slow non-harmonious music – creates tension for the audience as it puts them on edge and indicates the film is not going to be happy/positive

Sonically exaggerated sound of the camera –shows that it is a key role within the film and emphasises that he has just photographed the murder

Reversed sound – puts the audience on edge as it is slightly off pitch. However as it is backwards it makes the audience have to think more about what is happening and pay more attention

Close up on Polaroid – looks like a murder scene so audience become curious about who is dead and who is taking the photo. Also shows it may be significant later on

Close up of bullet/blood – shows it was a murder and not an accident. Therefore indicates to the audience that the narrative may revolve around this scene.

Mid shot of him getting shot – shows it was not a fair ‘battle’ as his back was turned. Therefore shows revenge and spite may play a key role

Rewind motion of the shooting – Shows the audience what happened however does not show why or what was happening before. It therefore creates mystery as the audience want to know more.

Extremely slow paced – this builds up tension and makes the audience feel that something is about to happen

Sideways shot of the blood – confuses the audience and makes things seem not right but instead wrong.