Memento
by Poep Sa Frank Jude Boccio
This month, on Saturday, April 24th, Cinema Nirvana will screen its first film
less than 50 years old: Memento, shot over 25 days between September 7th and
October 8th, 1999 and released to critical acclaim in 2000 was especially praised for
its unique, nonlinear narrative structure and its interlocking themes of memory,
perception, grief, self-deception and revenge. The film did quite good box office and
received Oscar nominations for Original Screenplay and Editing. Memento is written and directed by Christopher Nolan, adapted from his younger brother Jonathan's short story, "Memento Mori" (the screenplay is considered "Original" because the story was unpublished at the time). It stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a man suffering with anterograde amnesia, which renders
his brain unable to store new memories. During the opening credits, (which shows
the end of the story) we see Leonard having just killed Teddy (played by the everwonderful
Joe Pantoliano) for the rape and murder of his wife based upon
information provided by Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss).
The film shows the distinction between plot and story, with the film's events
unfolding in two separate, alternating narratives – one in color, and the other in
black and white. The black and white narrative is told in chronological order,
showing Leonard conversing on the phone while in a motel room. The color
narrative depicts Leonard's investigation of his wife's murder in reverse
chronological order. This striking strategy puts us in the situation of Leonard, as
with each sequence, we remain unaware of the preceding events! By the film's end
with the convergence of the two narratives, we understand the investigation and the
events that lead to the death of Teddy: the end of the film is the beginning of the
story. The beginning is the end.
Medical experts have cited Memento as one of the most realistic and accurate
depictions of anterograde amnesia in any film. Christof Koch, a Caltech
neuroscientist called Memento "the most accurate portrayal of the different memory systems in the popular media," while Ester M. Sternberg, Director of the Integrative Neural Immune Program at the National Institute of Mental Health said Memento is “close to a perfect exploration of the neurobiology of memory." She added, "This
thought-provoking thriller is the kind of movie that keeps reverberating in the
viewer's mind, and each iteration makes one examine preconceived notions in a
different light. Memento is a movie for anyone interested in the workings of memory
and, indeed, in what it is that makes our own reality." Clinical neuropsychologist,
Sallie Baxendale writes, "The fragmented, almost mosaic quality to the sequence of
scenes in the film also cleverly reflects the 'perpetual present' nature of the
syndrome."
"Live in the present" is a very popular spiritual cliché, and Memento gives you
no choice! It conveys, in a powerfully visceral way, the reality that the present
moment is where we are always living because it's all there ever is! It also shows us how we construct the myths of past and future and then lose ourselves in them. The clear cognition of perpetual nowness needn't, however, make us dysfunctional like
Leonard. This month, join us in viewing the film and afterward discussing what it
can tell us about living in the moment, and breaking free from fixation to our stories.
See you at the movies!
Poep Sa Frank Jude
Click here for the Cinema Nirvana schedule
Frank Jude Boccio | bio
Ongoing Classes:
Tue 9:00-10:30am, Mindfulness Yoga (Mixed-Level)
Sun 9:00-10:30am, Gentle Mindfulness Yoga
Sun 7:00-8:30pm, Mindfulness Practice Sangha (by donation)
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