"Memento" Nolan's masterpiece reverse movie that overturns the standard detective/revenge drama *Note! Contains spoilers.

Detective stories and subversive mysteries

Leonard has a mirror tattoo on his chest that reads ``JOHN G RAPED AND MURDERED MY WIFE.'' During a tragic incident that befell the couple, Leonard is hit in the head by one of the intruders and suffers memory loss. ``Memento'' is a revenge drama in which the main character tries to avenge the loss of his wife, and it also has elements of a detective story in which he searches for the culprit.

First, considering its characteristics as a detective story, this work can be said to be a variation of a subversive mystery. A typical detective story depicts the process in which a crime occurs where the culprit is unknown, and detectives and private detectives (sometimes amateur detectives) search for the culprit based on evidence left at the crime scene and information obtained through interviews. The culprit (= mystery) is revealed at the end of the story. On the other hand, the subversive format maintains the interest of the audience and readers by clearly identifying the person who commits the crime at the beginning and describing how the investigating party approaches the criminal (as in the drama `` Detective Columbo' '). representative example).

"Memento" (c) Photofest / Getty Images

At the beginning of Memento, Leonard shoots Teddy, and it is soon revealed that Leonard is convinced that Teddy is the revenge he was looking for, and the events leading up to that point are traced back. This can also be categorized as a form of inversion in a broad sense, from the perspective that the answer to the riddle is made clear at the beginning, and the process of arriving at that answer is described afterwards.

However, as the film progresses, it becomes clear that the weakness of amateur detective Leonard, who loses his memory in 10 minutes, is undermining the credibility of his search for the culprit. Someone also appears who tries to take advantage of his memory loss. Eventually, the audience will notice. Leonard's process of searching for the culprit may seem like a typical detective story, but when you change your perspective, a completely different The Truth emerges.

Revenge drama and “unreliable narrator”