Analysis of Memento Movie
Bahynah Hughes
COPL 1126
Ms. Yannakakis
April 4, 2012
Rough Draft for Essay #5 Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan is a physiological thriller film that retells the events that have led up to the protagonist, a man named Leonard Shelby murdering a man named Teddy. The film has received critical acclaim for its unique time sequence, which goes in both reverse and chronological order. The temporal structure of the film serves two proposes: to mimic the process of human of recollection, and to allow the viewer to understand the nature of anterograde amnesia, an ailment that Leonard Shelby suffers from. The ambiguity in the ending of Nolan’s work raises many questions about the reliability of human memory. Throughout the movie, the audience is forced to ask repeatedly if the “memory” of the protagonist can be trusted, and eventually doubt the fidelity of human memory as a whole. In Memento, Leonard’s methods of record keeping assert that human memory can be deceptive, and that individuals create false images by modifying memories over time.
Paragraph 1 : Photographs Intro Sentence
Quote: “would rather be a remembered as a dead guy than a killer” * Leonard Shelby then burns the photo of the man that he recently killed, Jimmy. This is to forget the fact that he is a killer without a reason. * Takes Jimmy’s clothing and car, we realize the memory of Leonard having a lot of money and being able to afford this car after his wife’s death is false. * This shows that memory is not reliable, people can “forget” and change the meaning of images in the mind, similar to how Lenny changes his identity after he had killed Jimmy * He burns the photo of his triumphant face after he killed the real John G *
Paragraph 2: Note taking
Intro Sentence * Leonard takes notes of important facts relating to “John G” the man that he believes killed his wife. * When he cannot accept the truth that Teddy has told him, he decides to
COPL 1126
Ms. Yannakakis
April 4, 2012
Rough Draft for Essay #5 Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan is a physiological thriller film that retells the events that have led up to the protagonist, a man named Leonard Shelby murdering a man named Teddy. The film has received critical acclaim for its unique time sequence, which goes in both reverse and chronological order. The temporal structure of the film serves two proposes: to mimic the process of human of recollection, and to allow the viewer to understand the nature of anterograde amnesia, an ailment that Leonard Shelby suffers from. The ambiguity in the ending of Nolan’s work raises many questions about the reliability of human memory. Throughout the movie, the audience is forced to ask repeatedly if the “memory” of the protagonist can be trusted, and eventually doubt the fidelity of human memory as a whole. In Memento, Leonard’s methods of record keeping assert that human memory can be deceptive, and that individuals create false images by modifying memories over time.
Paragraph 1 : Photographs Intro Sentence
Quote: “would rather be a remembered as a dead guy than a killer” * Leonard Shelby then burns the photo of the man that he recently killed, Jimmy. This is to forget the fact that he is a killer without a reason. * Takes Jimmy’s clothing and car, we realize the memory of Leonard having a lot of money and being able to afford this car after his wife’s death is false. * This shows that memory is not reliable, people can “forget” and change the meaning of images in the mind, similar to how Lenny changes his identity after he had killed Jimmy * He burns the photo of his triumphant face after he killed the real John G *
Paragraph 2: Note taking
Intro Sentence * Leonard takes notes of important facts relating to “John G” the man that he believes killed his wife. * When he cannot accept the truth that Teddy has told him, he decides to