Memento

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Memento is a neo-noir–psychological thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, based on his brother Jonathan's short story "Memento Mori." The film stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a former insurance fraud investigator hunting for his wife's murderer. However, during the attack on his wife, Leonard suffered severe head trauma and lost the ability to make new memories. To cope with life, he keeps a collection of notes, photographs, and tattoos to remind himself of people, places, and events he cannot remember. He is aided in his investigation by "Teddy" (Joe Pantoliano) and Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss), both of whom Leonard is not sure he can trust. The film tells most of its story in reverse chronological order: it starts at the end of the tale and finishes near the beginning. It is divided into two sections (one in color, the other in black and white) that alternate throughout the narrative. The color portion depicts Leonard's investigation and is shown in roughly ten-minute long segments, which end by overlapping onto the previous segment's beginning. The black and white sections are told in chronological order and show Leonard in a motel room talking with an anonymous phone caller. By the film's end, the two narratives converge into a single color sequence, which is the film's climax. Memento was shown at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim, and received the same response when it was given a limited release in theaters on March 16, 2001. Praise was primarily leveled at the film's unique story structure, although this was an object of discontent for some viewers. The film was also admired for its themes of memory, perception, grief, and revenge, and many critics' gave it a high rank on their year-end Top Ten lists. It was a success at the box office and garnered Academy Award nominations for Original Screenplay and Editing, as well as numerous other accolades. Anybody else like this?