Momento Flashcards
Momento- Introduction:
In 2000, Christopher Nolan was propelled towards success with his experimental feature film Memento.
Within a short amount of time, Nolan was to become a respected writer and director.
Becoming associated with intricate narratives that pushed the boundaries of time, realism, and distorted reality.
The freedom of control over his films set Nolan up to become an auteur director.
Momento- Auteur pt.1
An example of auteur techniques used by Nolan in Momento is his focus on the subjectivity of his leading characters inner psyche.
This allows the audience access to the mind of the characters; Nolan uses voice overs in Momento to give ua as insight to Lenords thought process.
Making us as the audience align with Lenord.
However, we recognise he’s an unreliable narrator, but we take on Lenord’s investigative approach to try to understand the narrative.
This focus on subjectivity is common within certain styles of film making, particularly: impressionism, expressionism, and film noir, but Nolen often utilizes subjective approaches as another way to further establish his goal of offering differing forms of realism to cinematic spectators.
Momento- Auteur pt.2
Another example of auteur techniques used by Nolan in Momento is the way he plays with the temporal structure.
The reverse chronology of the main narrative begining with the climax and moving backward through time.
This narrative choice mirrors Lenord’s condition, as he can only retain memorys for a short period of time.
By using this narrative technique Nolan similarly makes us as the audience lost within the narrative, as we experience the same disorientated and confusion the protagonist, Lenord suffers.
Momento- Auteur pt.3
The opening scene is in colour, and is the only scene literally presented in reverse. A clear image on a polaroid photo slowly disappears as it is shaken. The photograph eventually rises, lodging back into the camera.
An empty bullet cartridge rolling around on the ground also rises back into it’s chamber, as an unknown man is violently shot in the back of the head.
This unusual reverse presentation effectively acclimates the viewer into the world and structure that Nolan is creating.
This reverse opening sets up the subsequent new colour scene that presents new information leading up to where the last scene had concluded.
Momento- Auteur pt.4
Each of these colour scenes are juxtaposed, however, with black and white scenes that on the surface appear to be more objective when concerning facts and reality.
Unlike the reverse colour sequences, the black and white scenes are presented chronologically, often picking up directly where the last scene left off.
The scenes are also presented more objectively, with the camera often filming from unnaturally high angles. For example, in the first black and white scene a almost birds eye, canted angle point of view captures Lenord sat on the bed as a voice over of his inner thoughts begin.
The shots are often filmed on a handheld camera, using a documentary style, resembling cinema verity, reinforcing the trustworthy nature of the information we are being given.
Momento- Auteur pt.5
Momento has a very logical reverse linear structure, where if one piece was removed, the film would collapse. Every scene is a vitally important piece of the narrative puzzle, which builds off the previous scenes and guides the direction of the following ones.
The films construction also fortifies Nolan’s aim of making spectators apart of the characters subjective journey while being last within their narrative maze.
The films narrative leads them in a direction, yet when the next scene is presented, their perspectives inevitably changes based on new revelations or evidence.
As with most film noir, Momento was designed to confuse audiences.
Momento- Auteur Conclusion
In conclusion, Nolan clearly shows off his auteur qualities in Momento, using thematic ideas of memory, reality, and truth that is later developed in inception and interstellar.
