The meaning of the film "Remember" is discussed by all fans of action-packed detective stories. This is one of the most mysterious films directed by Christopher Nolan, which was released in 2000. In this article we will talk about this psychological thriller, actors, interpretations of the plot.
Creating a picture
The meaning of the film "Remember" is often discussed by fans of Nolan. Basically, different interpretations appeared due to the fact that the narrative in the picture is non-linear.
Filming took place in Southern California. The process itself took only 25 days. When making the film Remember, Nolan relied on the plot of the Memento Mori short story written by his brother Jonathan. At the same time, the picture is officially considered an original production, since a literary work was published only after the premiere.
It is interesting that initially they planned to take Alec Baldwin for the main role, and in the final credits the director planned to use the music of his favorite band Radiohead. But as a result, it did not work out to agree with Baldwin, and royalties to the group turned out to be too large for independent cinema.
Synopsis
The plot of the film "Remember" begins with the fact that viewers get acquainted with the investigator of the insurance company Leonard Shelby, who is looking for the murderers of his wife. Everything is complicated by the fact that the protagonist after a trauma suffers from a form of amnesia, which does not allow him to keep in his memory anything longer than the last quarter hour.
Therefore, he is forced to constantly leave notes for himself, to make tattoos reminding him of places, events and people. Natalie and Telli help him in the investigation, but he does not completely trust them.
The main intrigue of the film "Remember" 2000 is the part of the investigation, which is hidden from Leonard. The director forces the viewer to see everything that happens through the eyes of the protagonist. It uses an inverted composition. For example, it breaks the narrative into 5-minute sections that follow in the reverse order on the screen. As a result, the viewer only in each next scene is explained, which led to the events that occurred in the previous one.
All these segments are interspersed with black and white inserts, in which time develops normally. By the end of the movie Remember (2000), the storylines are connected. The black and white picture becomes color. From this moment, the viewer can restore the complete chronology of the events.
Producer
The creator of the picture is the popular English director Christopher Nola, he was born in London in 1970. His debut picture was the tape "Harassment", which was released two years earlier. It was a black and white thriller made in the neo-noir genre, about a young man who watches strangers in the streets of London.
After the premiere of the film "Remember" about the director Christopher Nolan, many started talking. His talent was noticed and appreciated. Currently, he has become one of the most famous film makers in the world.
In 2005, he released the superhero action movie Batman: The Beginning. Among his other cult works, the dramatic thriller Prestige, the sci-fi detective thriller The Beginning, and the sci-fi drama Interstellar should be noted.
Awards and nominations
In 2002, the award for the film "Remember" was the Edgar Allan Poe Prize. This is a prestigious American Award, which is awarded each year by the Association of Detective Writers of the United States. First of all, literary works are celebrated, but until 2010 prizes were awarded to the best films.
The picture fell into the main competition program of the festival of American independent cinema "Sundance".
In two categories she was presented at the Academy Award. She claimed victory in the category "Best Original Screenplay", but the figurine went to Robert Altman's drama "Gosford Park." Also, film academics praised the work of editors. But in the end, the victory was awarded to Ridley Scott's military drama Black Hawk.
Guy pierce
The success of the film, of course, was provided by the actors of the film "Remember." The main role of an amnesiac sufferer, Leonard Shelby, was played by Australian Guy Pearce.
His career began in the 1990s, when he appeared in the films "The Adventures of Priscilla, the Queen of the Desert", "They Swapped Bodies", "The Battle for a New World".
Working with Christopher Nolan was one of the most successful episodes of his career. Viewers also remember him as Detective Edmund Exley in the Los Angeles Secrets series, George Hickenlooper's biopic drama I Seduced Andy Warhol, Tom Hooper’s historical drama King Says!, Ridley Scott’s science fiction action movie The Prometheus, the series "Mildred Pierce."
For his role in the TV series Mildred Pierce, Pierce received an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His work in the film "The King Speaks!" was awarded the Screen Actors Guild of the United States.
Kerry Ann Moss
This Canadian actress in the movie "Remember" (Memento, 2000) plays the familiar protagonist Natalie, who is trying to help him in the investigation.
By the time of filming, Nolan Moss was already a celebrity. Everyone knew her as a performer of the role of Trinity in the trilogy of the Wachowski brothers “The Matrix”.
Moreover, her career began in the late 1980s with little-known in our country tapes "Hitchhiker", "Cafe of Nightmares" and "Brothers in Blood".
In recent years, Moss regularly appears in films of the Marvel cinematic universe in the image of Jerry Hogarth. Among her other works of recent years, it is worth noting Gerard Barrett's biographical drama "The Mind on Fire", Stacy Title's horror film "ByBaiMan", the superhero thriller "Defenders", which was released as a series on the Netflix streaming service.
Joe Pantoliano
Another assistant to the protagonist John Edward Gammell, nicknamed Teddy, is played by American actor Joe Pantoliano. It is interesting that he, like Moss, became known after the Matrix, where he appeared in the image of the traitor Cypher.
Also, fame and popularity brought him shooting in the cult crime series "Clan Soprano." In total, he starred in more than 100 feature films and TV shows. Among them can be noted the MES multi-part medical drama, the New York City Police detective procedural drama, Chris Columbus's comedy adventure film Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.
What do you need to pay attention to?
Understanding the meaning of the film "Remember", viewers and critics noted several things that could become keys to understanding this picture. It is important to understand how the Lenny system works.
The very first thing that immediately catches your eye is his tattoo, which says: "Remember Sammy Jenkins." On many plans, you can see that the protagonist is right-handed, but the tattoo is done on his left arm. On it, he also wears a wedding ring.
It is important that each tattoo carries an associative and semantic connection. All together allows you to extract from your memory the necessary and important memories. For example, through the tragedy of Sammy, Lenny realizes what he is sick with. The wedding ring brings back memories of family life, the hero uses the rest of the tattoos to assemble the big picture, like from puzzles.
Tips to eat, not to trust anyone, not to answer phone calls make his life relatively safe and stable.
Of great importance to the protagonist is the story of Sammy. She is associated with his guilt. The fact is that Leonard convinced the medical board that Sammy’s illness was psychogenic, gave hope to his family that he could become normal if he found the right words. In reality, nothing is able to revive the affected brain cells of the patient. As a result, Mrs. Jenkins dies, and Lenny feels involved in her passing.
One of the most mysterious characters in the film is Teddy. The protagonist constantly ponders whether he can be trusted. For example, Teddy claims to have conducted the case with Mrs. Shelby, but does not tell who the second criminal was. Almost every word he says is based on lies and deceit.
As a result, most fans of the film, discussing who this policeman really is, believe that he is the most ordinary swindler who took advantage of Leonard’s painful condition in his own interests.
What is the picture about?
Arguing what the meaning of the film "Remember" is, most come to the conclusion that this is a story about the manifestation of the so-called law of equal retaliation. In Bible truths: "An eye for an eye ..."
The main character finds himself in incredibly difficult, almost inhuman conditions. At this moment, Nolan begins to administer his own justice. Lenny's main tragedy is the need to atone for the Jenkins family.
The attack on Shelby’s home is the result of an old story, not the beginning of a new one. The hero is trying unsuccessfully to confront an already accomplished evil. At the same time, he believes that revenge will allow him to get rid of the sensation of pain and horror. However, in reality, his thirst for place is a manifestation of his complete helplessness.
He consoles himself by fantasizing that he is in fact able to make independent decisions, but this as a result only exacerbates his suffering. It takes time for him to put up with pain.
Questions arise: what should he do if he is “out of time”, will he be able to solve such a difficult task? In the final frames of the film, he hugs his wife, and on his chest you can see a new tattoo: "I made it."
It turns out that the hero still achieves a positive result.