Memento is a noir-ish mystery that focuses on a main character who is unable to form new memories. While they don't get too specific, at certain points, his brain resets, and he forgets everything that has just happened.
The gimmick of Memento is that the whole story is told backward, scene by scene. Except for sequences in black & white, which are told sequentially. This sounds confusing because it is. While it feels easier to track at first, the longer it goes on, the harder it is to put everything into the proper place.
This time, my viewing was split into two chunks - the first 1:20 in one sitting, and the remainder in the second. Somehow, this actually helped me straighten my feelings about the movie out.
It's a good movie. It's very compelling, especially the first viewing. It's shot very well, and it remains remarkably clever. However, it has a specific problem with it, and it's that the gimmick overcomes the plot.
With Inception, Nolan did a fantastic job of creating a plot device, then letting that be used to create the story. This is usually a focus of really good sci-fi. Once the rules are set down, the story comes about naturally from those directives. With this movie, the plot is nearly irrelevant, the gimmick overcomes our understanding, our caring, and our focus about the plot.
Now that I've got a firm grasp on exactly how things played out, I'm actually a little disappointed. Even after understanding the movie, we are left with too little information. Everyone in the movie is unreliable.
Cathy found the ending much more sad. And I suppose it is. There's something horrible about being manipulated, and not being able to do anything about it. But on the other hand, the guy also never has to live with that knowledge, except for the few minutes he remains aware of it.
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