Memento

In the film Memento by Christopher Nolan, reverse chronology causes the audience to view Leonard Shelby as a sympathetic victim. Viewers start to watch the film when the story has reached its end. This confusing plot puts the audience in Shelby’s position. They see things from his point of view. Another thing that causes Leonard to seem like the victim is his condition, which does not let him make new memories. This makes him appear to be vulnerable. Finally, the other mysterious characters such as Natalie and Teddy make Shelby seem like the innocent victim. According to what Leonard wrote in the back of his picture, Teddy can’t be trusted. This makes the audience suspicious of him throughout the entire movie.

While watching this movie, one must pay close attention. The audience is just as confused and uneasy about what is going on as Shelby is. It is as though viewers also have the condition that Shelby has because of the reverse chronological order this movie follows. The audience, too, must have that same jolt of fear from scene to scene, the recogniti