“Memento” is a neo-noir work of art from director Christopher Nolan. The plot of the movie is non-linear and moves across two parallel lines. One line of the plot is in color, where each part is presented in reverse chronological order. The other line is in black and white and told chronologically. In the climax, the two paths merge to establish connectivity between them.

The movie begins with a color scene where a man in a designer suit shoots a spectacled man in a dilapidated house. The man in the suit is revealed to be Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a former insurance investigator. Leonard is suffering from anterograde amnesia, an unusual condition where he loses memory of past events, people, or places from 15 minutes before.

He has suffered from this condition ever since two assailants killed his wife, Catherine (Jorja Fox), and clubbed him unconscious at his house. Leonard remembers everything from his past before the incident, and his last memory is the death of his wife. This part is revealed through black and white scenes when he is talking to someone on his phone.

Leonard has created an elaborate system to adapt to his new condition. He takes Polaroid pictures of every person he meets and expects to meet again, and then writes down their name and a short message about that person.

He uses his own body as a giant post-it and tattoos messages to himself to help him piece together his past. Leonard is on a quest to find the person or persons responsible for both his wife’s demise and his present condition. Leonard believes that the person who murdered his wife has the name John G.

In the color sequences that move in reverse chronological order, it is revealed that the person he just shot was Teddy (Joe Pantoliano), a cop. Leonard has a photograph of Teddy. The note that Leonard has left himself on Teddy’s photo warns him that Teddy is a liar and the murderer of his wife.

As the color sequences move backward, it is revealed that a waitress, Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss), appears to be someone he trusts. The black and white sequences reveal that when Leonard worked as an investigator for an insurance company, he investigated a case involving Sammy Jankis (Stephen Tobolowsky), who also suffered from anterograde amnesia.

The rest of the plot reveals why Leonard killed Teddy. Is Leonard’s system perfect? How did he put the pieces together? What part did Sammy, Natalie, and Teddy play in Leonard’s life? These questions too are unearthed in the rest of the movie. The story is a mental jigsaw puzzle that challenges the viewer to put together.

The unusual plot with an ingenious screenplay and a great cast make “Memento” a memorable, intellectually deep, and thrilling neo-noir. It has rightfully been considered by several critics to be one of the best noir thrillers of all time. Guy Pearce has excelled as Leonard, the movie’s protagonist. Carrie-Anne Moss plays the mysterious Natalie. Does she care for Leonard, or is she using him? Was Teddy really his wife’s killer? Who is Leonard talking to in the black-and-white scenes?

The message of the movie is that our memories are not perfect. They are contaminated by our emotions, feelings, and biases. This movie is a great watch for fans of thrillers and even those looking for intellectual challenges. Do not miss “Memento.”