Much More Than a Director: Christopher Nolan (5)
Christopher Nolan made his directorial debut with the low-budget independent psychological thriller “Following,” as discussed in the previous article, but what truly established him as a remarkable storyteller from start to finish was the 2000 mystery drama “Memento.” The Academy Award-nominated screenplay was written by the director himself and adapted directly from a short story by his brother, Jonathan Nolan.
“Following,” which was shot with an incredible budget of only £3,000 (equivalent to $6,000 USD), exceeded expectations by grossing $240,000. Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan tested the validity of their chosen path when this happened.
The film was also nominated at many international festivals, receiving praise and awards.
Its biggest misfortune was competing with an interesting British film called “Human Traffic” directed by Justin Kerrigan that same year. “Human Traffic” had the advantage of a $4.5 million budget!
Even today, especially within the film industry’s circle of experts, you can find an impressive 60-point rating on Metacritic, with 7 out of 11 critics giving it a positive review. The most common criticism of the film was that it was “too short.” Considering the limited resources available, this was not entirely surprising, but when you look at the runtime of Nolan’s latest film (“Oppenheimer,” 3 hours), it’s safe to say that Nolan responded to these criticisms with a “Here’s a long film for you!”
If you watch this film from the original DVD, you’ll have a chance to:
Watch the original cut of the film, a conversation with the director, and the classic chronological version of the story.
One day, you will die!
The Latin term “Memento Mori” is used to mean “remember death.” The concept is primarily used to express human mortality and the transience of life. It is so prevalent that it often appears in art, philosophy, and literature. In Islamic culture, there is a corresponding concept: “Remember death, as it makes pleasures bitter.”
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi takes this hadith very seriously. The hadith mentioned in Tirmidhi’s section on asceticism served as the inspiration for many of Bediuzzaman’s treatises.
Bediuzzaman emphasizes that forgetfulness is both a great reward and, figuratively speaking, a curse for humans. He builds many arguments on this premise.
Because forgetting is the symmetrical counterpart of remembering.
And worldly life is constructed on the foundation of forgetting.
Forgetting illness, suffering, hardships, truths, and most importantly, forgetting death. If humans did not truly forget death, I think worldly life would become unbearable.
Hence, “Memento Mori” was especially popular as a theme during the Middle Ages, encouraging people to remember the transient nature of earthly pleasures and success. While this concept is often represented in art with skulls, decaying fruits, withered flowers, and other symbols of death, it has also led to profound insights, especially among religious leaders and philosophers.
The concept has also been used to encourage people to live a moral and honest life and prepare for the afterlife. Memento Mori reminds people that life is short and temporary, and they should value every moment, often combined with complementary concepts like “act rightly as you have been commanded.”
Jonathan Nolan…
The Nolan brothers are a trio. The eldest is Mathew (who has a criminal record, having been arrested and charged with the murder of Costa Rican accountant Robert Kohen in 2009), and the youngest is Jonathan. Unlike their brother Matthew, Christopher and Jonathan are two brothers whose minds are in harmony and inclined toward the art world. Fate may have pushed Christopher into the spotlight, but Jonathan, who has always lived in his shadow, has been by his side since childhood and continues to be so today. Emma Thomson completes what was missing in Nolan’s life, while Jonathan represents an essential part of his complete self.
Encouraged by the success of “Following,” Nolan wasted no time in thinking about a new project. In fact, they had a slew of ideas and written stories. Most of these were written by Christopher’s younger brother, Jonathan.
However, “Memento” was not one of them. In fact, it would be more accurate to say they wrote it together, as the Nolan brothers, along with Emma, came up with the story during a long journey when they moved to Los Angeles, and Jonathan put it on paper.
The story revolves around the main character, Leonard, who experiences short-term memory loss and copes by getting tattoos on his body. When Christopher Nolan decided to adapt this story into a film, he made sure to preserve its non-linear structure.
Nolan didn’t anticipate that the screenplay would be turned into a film so quickly when he read it to his wife, Emma. One of Emma Thomas’s most remarkable traits is her ability to instantly turn good ideas into projects. She immediately passed the project on to Aaron Ryder, the head of Newmarket Films, who recognized the potential and offered full support to Emma.
The film “Matrix” holds special importance for Nolan, and while “Memento” was being made, they added two important actors to the list: Carrie-Ann Moss and Joe Pantoliano. Nolan’s only hesitation was whether Pantoliano could convincingly portray the character who sticks to Leonard. However, he said in an interview that his doubts disappeared after their first meeting.
“Memento” was made on an independent budget and marked the beginning of Nolan’s Hollywood career. The film was shot in Los Angeles in just 25 days, an incredibly short period for Hollywood standards. While making the film, Nolan adopted a non-linear narrative style, forcing viewers to experience Leonard’s memory loss. This approach made viewers share in the confusion and uncertainty of the protagonist, which was a significant factor in the film’s success.
Nolan is known for creating complex and layered storylines that challenge viewers’ intelligence and engage their minds with psychological concepts. “Memento” serves as the cornerstone of this approach. The film centers around Leonard Shelby, who struggles to find the person who killed his wife due to his short-term memory loss. The unique premise of “Memento,” with its non-chronological storytelling, becomes a crucial element in successful storytelling. The film compels viewers to follow the story by restricting them to Leonard’s mental state and perception and by questioning the assumptions they may have about the characters in the film. The film’s success has shaped the audience’s understanding of “Memento.” Ultimately, it reflects Leonard’s uncertainty and suspicion as he experiences forward memory loss and cannot form new memories, expressing it thoroughly.
Reverse Chronology!
Nolan realized that the backward chronological narrative style further intertwines the relationship between the audience and the protagonist in this film.
This allows the audience to put themselves in Leonard’s shoes and empathize with his experience. The investigation unfolds from his perspective, but the plot also limits the audience’s knowledge to what Leonard observes, shaping their understanding of the film. Since the audience’s understanding is limited to Leonard’s perspective, when a scene begins, they never know what is happening because of the backward time travel. We will delve into this topic more deeply in the “script gaps” section.
Returning to the film, each colored scene flows in reverse, with each showing approximately ten minutes of the story, representing the length of Leonard’s memory. These sections are interwoven with shorter chronological segments of black and white scenes that create a subplot involving an unknown police officer. As the film progresses, the black-and-white and color scenes alternate, and the story begins to make sense. Here, Nolan uses the reverse plot to enhance the suspense, inviting the audience to construct the story’s context. The audience is constantly piecing together clues using their own intellect and memory, similar to Leonard’s mental process. For example, in a scene where Leonard meets Natalie in a restaurant, we see Leonard trying to interpret Natalie’s body language and understand what kind of person she is due to his inability to remember her. Similarly, viewers are forced to challenge their own assumptions about this woman since they are seeing her for the first time in the film. In this scene, Natalie appears visually disappointed that Leonard cannot remember her, but in the end, she gives Leonard the license plate of a man named John G.
From a cinematography perspective, “Memento” is also an interesting film. In many scenes, the camera is either over Leonard’s shoulder or capturing close-ups of the main character. This cinematography establishes a strong connection between the audience and Leonard. In other words, due to the restrictive narrative created by the backward chronological plot, viewers remain attentive, with their minds constantly engaged. The film’s context forces viewers to be on their guard, as they collect clues about Leonard’s actions and the reactions of other characters. In short, the limited narrative creates uncertainty, both triggering the audience’s curiosity and compelling them to connect the pieces in line with Leonard’s mindset.
On the other hand, the film’s backward chronological plot challenges viewers’ assumptions and stereotypes about each character throughout the film. As the film unfolds through current and backward scenes, each character’s personality slowly emerges and undergoes transformation, providing enjoyment for the audience. The suspense created by Nolan’s use of the reverse technique, starting with the end of the film, structures the plot in a way that invites the audience to explore the mystery of Teddy’s death. Viewers initially fall into the trap set by the director, assuming that Teddy is the one who killed Leonard’s wife and that Leonard is the film’s antagonist. However, as the film progresses, the question of who the real enemy is resurfaces. Is it Natalie, who directs Leonard to capture Dodd, or John G, the one who supposedly killed Leonard’s wife, or is it Leonard himself? The real question is, has someone chosen to ignore the truth and tell themselves lies in order to find happiness? Nolan keeps a fundamental piece of information hidden until the end of the film, allowing viewers to make guesses. It is safe to say that he takes some narcissistic pleasure in this!
Leonard’s Self-Deception.
The most interesting explanation is undoubtedly hidden in the film’s catharsis. “Memento” not only reveals that Leonard’s inner conflicts result not only from his current condition but also from a pathological condition, like pulling the pin of a hand grenade in the viewer’s mind. Perhaps our hero is not a victim of an illness but someone who has intentionally deluded himself with a completely different illness and is not as innocent as we thought!
I would like to delve even deeper into this topic, creating a connection with current events, especially those experienced by the community. However, let’s leave that for the next article, as I believe I’ve taxed your mind enough for today.
