Recommended: Yes. Remember this film. See it twice. You may not need to in order to assimilate it all, but it could well help.

Moments to Watch For

• The Alpha and the Omega (how scene 1 is led to from scene 2)
• The moment of heartbreak ('Who did this to you?')
• The moment when it all *clicks* for you...
• Sorry, I can't really think of many moments to watch for that I'd like to list here... because spoilers abound... even in the slightest scene...

Red Herring Section

Hey kids, what do you get when you cross a bunch of web-comic writers with a chat-room? A flame war!

Movie Information

Link in the Internet movie database

Commentary: Wow. Mein gott. This movie is going to utterly suck when the Academy is looking for movies to which they can offer great honours. This film breaks a lot of rules and it does so with a verve and inventiveness that I was just holding my breath when I left the theatre. This film forces you to hold all of it -- all of it -- in your mind for the entire one hundred six minute runtime in order to appreciate how point Z was reached from point A, while passing through points B-Y along the way. And better still, this movie makes the payoff worth the mental exercise. I've rarely seen this sort of storytelling method before and I really do love it. In a sense I almost hope that this film flops, so we don't have to sit through a parade of imitators who believe that form will guarantee creativity. It won't. This sort of film has all the usual problems associated with creating a gripping thriller and then has a new set of those same problems, in that the formula is turned up on its end... literally.
However, this film deserves to be lauded by those who have the patience and mental stamina to watch it. Ironically, the plot isn't all that special... if it were watched the 'normal' way around, though it would still make for an extremely compelling piece of cinema. However, the act of reversing the scenes is not the cinematic equivalent of reading a book backwards by chapter; no, quite the contrary, it called upon the scriptwriters and the director to ensure that a linking continuity existed and that we saw what we needed to... and were kept from what we must not see, lest the effect be spoiled.

Synopses: Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) has lost his wife to a murderer's tender mercies. In the struggle which ensued, Leo has also lost his ability to form any sort of short-term memories whatsoever. He can learn only through repeated action and so he leaves notes for himself, everywhere. He is attempting to avenge his wife's murder and must reconstruct things from base principles (and notes) each and every day of his life...
People like Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Teddie (Joe Pantoliano) play repeating roles in his life and Leo must try to understand where he met them, what they wish, and what is their role in this little drama...
Oh, and did I mention? This movie is told backwards. That's right. We start off with an act of vengeance... but we don't know what led to it, until the very last scene of the film...

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