Narrative:
Memento is an unusual film in that it a lot is shot in
reverse. It portrays the story of a man suffering from short-term memory loss,
and follows hints and clues in order to find and kill the person he believes to
be his wives murderer. In the opening sequence, the audience is automatically positioned
with the main character that we see is staring at a photo, from which frequently
we see it being shaken. However what may, go unnoticed, is that every time it
has been shaken, more of the image fades which begins to create enigma within
the story. In this sequence, because their is very little detail of the main
story so far, a lot of the development of this enigma relies of the use of
non-verbal language as well as the soundtrack, costume and make-up design. For instance,
we see our main character has been crying; this could be as a result of the
situation, or due to another factor, which later turns out to be the death of
his wife. As well as this, because the sequence is shot in reverse, the
audience generate an idea of what is about to happen within the film thus
tension is further created and maintained throughout. Finally, another factor
is the use of low key lighting allowing the scene to become more emotional.
Representation and Ideology:
In Mementos’ opening, it features just the two characters,
both of which are male. Through the use of camera techniques such as a low
angle shot on the main character to show he is in power and control in the
situation. And a high angle on the secondary character to show weakness of the alleged
killer. The main ideology that is challenged in the opening sequence is that
men don’t cry or show an emotional side. However in this sequence it is clearly
evident that our main character has been affect by the situation. Some factors
such as the use of a gun connote pain and misery, as well as power and danger;
thus the audience is beginning to build upon ideas based around the enigma of
the film.
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