In 2000, Christopher Nolan released his widely acclaimed neo noir Memento. The film stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a former insurance investigator suffering from severe anterograde memory dysfunction. His condition is a result of experiencing head trauma after witnessing his wife’s murder, and consequently, he is unable to remember anything for more than fifteen minutes. The film focuses on his pursuit of his wife’s killer, which is complicated by his paranoia and confusion. Nolan structures Memento uniquely by presenting the scenes backwards; the opening scene of the film is actually the final scene chronologically. The narrative structure and techniques of neo noir in Memento serve a greater purpose as they effectively put the audience
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One technique in particular is the dramatic monologue, which is used when Leonard is talking on the phone to someone whose identity is unknown to the audience for a large amount of the film (CITATION). The majority of Leonard’s story is revealed through his phone call, and since the recipient is not known, the audience assumes the role of the person on the other end of the phone. This narrative technique effectively engages the audience and contributes to the heightening tension characteristic of film noir.
Interestingly, the black and white sequences offer an objective view of Leonard’s character, as the audience functions as an omniscient presence and views the protagonist in his hotel room. The color scenes are much more subjective, as they show events happening from Leonard’s perspective; the camera is either over his shoulder or closely behind him, adding to the unreliability of the events …show more content…
He chooses to forget the facts that fracture his reality. This finally confirms to the audience that he is an extremely unreliable narrator, and subverts his role as the protagonist; the man that he has been hunting has been himself the whole time. In conclusion, Nolan’s Memento makes use of a unique narrative structure and various narrative techniques make Leonard relatable to the audience. The reverse chronological order in the color scenes combined with the forward chronological scenes with the black and white scenes is used to make the audience just as confused and bewildered as Leonard. The internal and dramatic monologues in the color and black and white scenes respectively continue to make Leonard’s plight significant to the audience, as they are in the same place as he is. These elements come together to establish Memento as a successful neo
One technique in particular is the dramatic monologue, which is used when Leonard is talking on the phone to someone whose identity is unknown to the audience for a large amount of the film (CITATION). The majority of Leonard’s story is revealed through his phone call, and since the recipient is not known, the audience assumes the role of the person on the other end of the phone. This narrative technique effectively engages the audience and contributes to the heightening tension characteristic of film noir.
Interestingly, the black and white sequences offer an objective view of Leonard’s character, as the audience functions as an omniscient presence and views the protagonist in his hotel room. The color scenes are much more subjective, as they show events happening from Leonard’s perspective; the camera is either over his shoulder or closely behind him, adding to the unreliability of the events …show more content…
He chooses to forget the facts that fracture his reality. This finally confirms to the audience that he is an extremely unreliable narrator, and subverts his role as the protagonist; the man that he has been hunting has been himself the whole time. In conclusion, Nolan’s Memento makes use of a unique narrative structure and various narrative techniques make Leonard relatable to the audience. The reverse chronological order in the color scenes combined with the forward chronological scenes with the black and white scenes is used to make the audience just as confused and bewildered as Leonard. The internal and dramatic monologues in the color and black and white scenes respectively continue to make Leonard’s plight significant to the audience, as they are in the same place as he is. These elements come together to establish Memento as a successful neo