Memento is the story of a man who can form no new memories and is looking for the man who murdered his wife and caused this condition, and in many ways our own memories are tested in this film by the way it is structured. The 2000 film by Christopher Nolan is filmed in both black and white, and in color, shown interchangeably. The B&W sequences show the protagonist (Guy Pearce) in his hotel room, covered in tattoos, gathering evidence, and explaining the situation he is in. The color scenes start from 10 minutes before the end of the story and will then keep jumping ten minutes back until they reach the beginning of the story when it will meet up with the B&W sequences. This film was beloved when it was released and continues to have a cult following. It is certainly engaging, but at this point I see the film as somewhat gimmicky and even distracting at points. Still it is somewhat brilliant in its construction and the payoff is a knockout.
***1/2 out of ****
