Memento (MA 15+) PRESENTED IN 35MM FILM

Memento (MA 15+, 2000) Presented in 35mm Film by The Revival House Perth

Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) suffers from anterograde amnesia—a condition that prevents him from forming new memories. After waking up, he has no recollection of the previous minutes, forcing him to rely on Polaroid photographs, handwritten notes, and tattoos covering his body to remind himself of crucial information. Leonard is searching for the man who murdered his wife during a home invasion, but without the ability to remember anything new, his investigation becomes a puzzle he must constantly restart. A mysterious woman named Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss) approaches Leonard claiming to help him find his wife's killer, though her motives remain unclear. As Leonard pursues fragmented leads through a noir landscape of deception, he questions whether his memories—both those he's lost and those he's reconstructed—can be trusted, and whether the man he's hunting even exists.

Director Christopher Nolan's 2000 debut is a revolutionary thriller that uses narrative structure as storytelling device. The film is told in reverse chronological order and in black-and-white sequences shown forward, forcing audiences to experience Leonard's disorientation firsthand. Guy Pearce delivers a nuanced performance of a man desperately clinging to a sense of purpose despite his cognitive fragmentation, while Carrie-Anne Moss brings mysterious allure to Natalie. Joe Pantoliano adds complexity as Teddy, whose reliability Leonard questions. The film's technical achievement—editing that mirrors the protagonist's fractured perception—becomes inseparable from its themes about memory, identity, and how we construct narratives about ourselves. Wally Pfister's cinematography emphasizes shadows and uncertainty, while David Julyan's score underscores the psychological unraveling. The screenplay by Nolan (adapted from a story by his brother Jonathan) creates a puzzle that rewards multiple viewings while raising unsettling questions about whether truth matters if we can't remember it.

Original format and audio experience of this film faithfully reproduced by The Revival House. Presented in 35mm film unless noted otherwise.

When: Saturday, July 25th at 7:20PM
Where: The Revival House at the Como Theatre
Rating: MA 15+ (Adult themes, Medium level coarse language)