One of the things that I think makes Memento worthwhile is how it illustrates the psychological truth about the power of denial and self-delusion: it is something that should never be underestimated. Near the end of the film Teddy tells Leonard, "You don’t want the truth. You make up your own truth." For me, this is a particularly resonant line of dialogue. Isn’t this something we all do to a greater or lesser degree?
At times, Memento seems seduced by its own cleverness and tries too hard to be smart, trading style for substance in the process. To my mind, where Memento works best is when it shows Leonard Shelby grieving for his wife, such as in the scene where he tries to burn some of her things and says, "I can’t remember to forget you." Or when, in combination with his grief, he tries to grapple with how his condition makes it impossible to come to terms with his loss, "How am I supposed to heal if I can’t feel time?"
Memento is a very clever little movie, and I expect that most people who enjoy solving puzzles just for the fun of it will like the film. I found Memento to be one of the more interesting modern noirs I’ve seen in the last several years, yet it lacked the emotive pull and psychological power of some of my favorites of the past, such as Chinatown (1974), Scarlet Street (1945), and Double Indemnity (1944). Memento is a good movie, but it isn’t a great one. Still, Memento has enough of the mood and feel of the classic film noirs to remind me how much I love the genre itself.
For me, Memento turned out to be a maddeningly fascinating diversion. I’ve already watched it repeatedly, and I’m sure I’ll watch it again in the future. I found Memento to be a highly entertaining film -- but be warned -- it might consume hours of your precious time if you let it get under your skin.
Selected Special Features on the DVD:
Formats Available: The above information refers to the DVD; this film is also available on VHS.
