Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Christopher Nolan's Use of the Rewind Button

        Probably one of the coolest aspects of Memento that has always stuck with me since the first time I watched it has got to be that the entire film is shot in reverse, retroactively foreshadowing the scenes to come. However, amongst the reverse remains a sequence that remains the same in its linear fashion. It serves as sort of a hub for the rest of the plot to revolve and unfold around. This is distinguished by Nolan's use of black and white. This not only acts as a place holder in the film, but also as an agent for Leonard to narrate and elaborate upon the actions he takes concerning his condition.

        The scene that really struck me as iconic in regards to the reverse plot of this film was the opening scene. It was in this scene that Nolan effectively portrays the reverse nature of his film in a more literal manner. The seamless use of the reverse frames was portrayed in a very natural manner and acted as an effective metaphor for the film as a whole. For, in using a ratcheting plot, where scenes move forward yet backward in the same motion, Nolan was able to entrance his audience and create the illusion that this was the natural manner for events to unfold. Overall, I find this film to be very intriguing and interesting with an interesting timeline full of plot twists and suspense that seems to have more than one climax

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