essays

 opening sequence:

styistic inovation

editing- reverse and sped up 

narrative - non-linear cyclical structure 

sound - violin string cortet - unorthodox for the beginning of a film 

Stylistic innovation is a driving factor in the reason why Memento is such an impactful film, from the themes to the film form, it displays a multitude of ventures for conveying its innovative messages. Editing is utilised by Nolen as a means of taking the audience out of reality and truly emphasising the features and genre of experimental film. One way this is done is through the use of reverse style editing - this allows the audience to feel disconnected with the opening of the film and introduces the film as something that is confusing and thought-provoking. The reverse allows for the context of the scene to be wrapped and leaves the audience with an initial intrigued disposition to the protagonist. This is reflected in the rest of the film when Nolan continues to throw the spectator off the natural and stereotypical conventions of film, which further allows the spectator to receive certain ideologies and messages about the film. This idea is again reinforced when Nolan integrates a sped-up shot near the end of the sequence. This develops the unnatural feeling of the sequence and takes the spectator out of the narrative further, inducing the idea that the narrative of the story is one that needs to be paid close attention to, especially when considering the context of the protagonist. 

The non-linear cyclical structure of the film is the most influential factor in how the spectator views the narrative and characters in the film. The confusing consistency of Nolens guiding through the narrative takes the spectator from one memory to another, whilst also integrating the idea that the opening sequence is in fact the ending sequence, proposing the idea that the narrator and protagonist are unreliable 

Discuss how far the narrative of the film option you have studied could be considered 'experimental'. 20