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Teddy: You really want to get this guy, don't you. They're irrelevant if you have the facts. They're just an interpretation they're not a record. Leonard: Look, memory can change the shape of a room, the color of a car and memories can be distorted. We are hopeful and convinced that Leonard, with his intelligence and drive, can overcome odds, achieve his goals, and live a fruitful life. One-hundred percent of his energy is focused on finding his enemy. These memory aids - mementos - are recorded before the "facts" can leave working memory. He has developed two clever strategies that help him deal with the disability: He tattoos himself with 'facts' and he annotates polaroid pictures. You are no longer a detached, all-knowing observer. This cinematic trick is riveting, and helps you understand and empathize with Leonard. You, the viewer, feel the confusion, frustration and lack of certainty that Leonard must feel every moment. The brilliance is that you are viewing the scene as Leonard views it, since his brain has no store of the preceding events. When you view a scene, you don't know what led up to it. This leaves you, the viewer, extremely confused.
#MEMORY NOTE MOVIE MOVIE#
If one thinks of the events of the movie as a series in time, the last is presented first and the first, last. The director, Christopher Nolan, presents the scenes in reverse time-series. The construction of the movie is brilliant. Teddy may or may not be a friend, and may or may not be trustworthy. Leonard (left) uses tattoos and polaroid photos as memory aids - mementos. He can operate in "the present", but, once events leave the present (when they exit "working memory"), all trace of these activities is lost. The brain damage left Leonard with severe anterograde amnesia.* He remembers nothing between a time shortly after the attack and the present. Leonard, the central character, is focused on finding the man who, during a home invasion, murdered Leonard's wife and crushed Leonard's skull, leaving him with brain damage. On the surface, Memento is a standard detective story. If the role of art is to present fresh insights by sharing the thoughts of others, Memento is true and impressive art. Although I've been studying memory for 30 years, Memento gave fresh perspectives. Overriding all of these is the portrayal of memory and the mind. This remarkable film features adventure, mystery, human drama and fascinating movie technique. On Saturday evening I rented Memento (2000) and watched for the second and third times. I've been reflecting on issues of Personal Identity last month I wrote a blog post on this.