Memento as Film Noir

In the book Film Art: An Introduction, David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson describe Film Noir as "a phenomenon that is, in one way or another, aesthetically, culturally, ideologically or historically important" This quote suggests that a film within the Film Noir 'phenomenon' can be defined by its aesthetics and its tone, the social context and cultural influence it has, the ideologies of those associated, possibly the director, or its historical significance, influence and context.
In the case of Memento, the 'defining feature' that stands out is the aesthetics of the film. Overall, the film uses low-key lighting to present a dark, shadow filled world that is emphasised by the essentially dull location and the lack of bright colours on everything including clothing.

However, these features are not the only things to define 'Film Noir', as a quote from the paragraph directly after states that "various critics have sought different unifying features" This tells us that Film Noir could be subjective, a 'phenomenon' that provokes different reactions based on the consumer. Certainly, the features listed are all different, there being nine in total, however I would say that only four can be firmly applied to Memento. These are 'motif and tone', 'iconography, mood and characterisation', 'visual style' and 'narrative and iconography'.
Although some features cross over, such as iconography, they can be viewed in different ways, such as iconography within the mood of the film, or iconography within the narrative.

The opening sequence of Memento is a perfect example of some of these 'defining features'.
The scene opens with a hand shaking a polaroid photograph. This appears fine, until the photograph begins to fade instead of developing, rewinding itself. This momentarily confuses the audience but straight away introduces a narrative style that, although the film does not run backwards, will be present throughout the film. This opening scene then cuts to a black and white scene, introducing the theme of parallel narratives in the film. Black and white sequences are conventional of Film Noir pictures, as are voice-overs/narrations, which are also present within this sequence. This narration seems completely out of context in the opening scene, providing another layer of confusion, but also a basis for the parallel narrative that we see. The parallel narratives, although not typically conventional of film noir, are often used in film noir pictures to distort the story and tell more than one point of view, something that film noirs can often rely upon in order to keep the audience enthralled. 

Bordwell and Thompson give a good overview on the narrative of Film Noir pictures, telling us that "narratives in noirs are typically presented in a non-chronological order" This challenges the idea that Film Noirs are typically non-linear, a challenge supported by Memento. Although the film does not follow the basis of start, to middle, to end, all three components are present. Essentially, once the film is shown completely, we see it as end, to middle, to start. This non-chronological approach as opposed to a non-linear approach satisfies Bordwell and Thompson's quote, and in an interview, director Christopher Nolan furthers this point. He tells us that "the film is not non-linear, it is linear, but reversed", continuing that "you cannot take out one scene" as they each influence the next. The film, therefore, could be seen as cause and effect despite the non-chronological order that the scenes run in.

Characterisation is a key element of film noir. Film Art: An Introduction tells us that "the characters focused on are mentally and emotionally vulnerable", whilst also highlighting the function of the female characters. Firstly, Leonard definitely falls into the bracket of being both mentally (due to his condition) and emotionally (due to his wife's death and his quest to find the killer) vulnerable, establishing an empathetic connection with the audience. The female characters can be "viewed as a function of male dilemas and male anxieties" which suggests that they serve a purpose to the male. This is easy to see within Memento, with Natalie seemingly around to help Leonard and further the story. Furthermore, the female characters can "divide neatly into two basic types" within the film noir genre. Memento is an interesting basis for observation on female characters, as there are only 4 female characters throughout the film, and only one (Natalie) has a stand out role. Film Art: An Introduction describes the female characters as either "alluring and dangerous femme fatales" or "dependable, respectable, safe and undemanding partners, wives and girlfriends". Interestingly, Natalie fulfils both of these 'types' as the film progresses. We initially see her as the 'dependable, respectable, safe' woman who aids Leonard, but later in the film (thus earlier in the story) we see that she is merely using and manipulating Leonard, rooting herself in the femme fatale category.
The lack of other prominent female characters satisfies the typical characterisation of film noir, supported by the character of Leonard, who is mentally and emotionally vulnerable. This is noted by director Christopher Nolan who, in terms of characterisation, mentions the "unreliable narrator" and how he wanted to put the "audience into the head of the protagonist", therefore he had to make Leonard vulnerable and accessible. Finally, he mentions how, as well as letting the audience access the protagonist, he wanted to create a "changing relationship with the central character (and the audience)". He achieves this by once again using the vulnerability of Leonard and the actions of the likes of Teddy and Natalie to make us empathise with Leonard, even when we realise that he is essentially fooling himself and letting himself kill innocent people.

In the scene where Leonard kills Jimmy, the longest black and white scene in the film, we are given several great examples of how characterisation, visual style and narrative can influence the film and the audience. First and foremost, we see how Leonard is being 'played' and manipulated by Teddy for Teddy's own gain, Leonard's aforementioned vulnerability once again being brought to the forefront. As well as this, the long black and white tone of the scene gives a dark, almost sinister feel to the scene, like we know something bad or damaging will happen. It is possible that this connotes Leonard's mind; it is slightly blurry and dark, unsure of everything. This is supported by the fact that the black and white scene is intercut with colour shots of Leonard's wife, suggesting that Leonard's memories are all he knows, everything else that he experiences is a blur, something that will soon become old and therefore is black and white. This supports the idea of the typical film noir 'whodunnit?', as we are literally 'left in the dark' through the uncertainties (in this case, Leonard's knowledge, or lack thereof) but are aware of what has gone before (Leonard's life before the incident). 

As with every film genre, certain directors and filmmakers leave their distinctive mark upon the genre as a whole. With the 'phenomenon' of film noir, this is no different, especially seen as film noir pictures can often be a basis for experimentation. Bordwell and Thompson briefly describe film noir as "a dark quality that derived as much from the characters depicted as from the cinematographer's art"
This suggests that there is definitely an artistic influence to film noir, so the question is whether Christopher Nolan, making only his second film, had an artistic edge to stamp upon Memento. In a candid interview, Nolan divulged that the stamp he intended to leave on Memento came from his own interests as both a person and as a cinematic spectator. Overall, he says that he wanted to challenge or distort "time, narrative and audience perception" continuing that "in most films, the sense of time is incredibly distorted" essentially meaning that the audience accepted this anyway, whereas he wanted to draw attention to the sense of time and what it means to the audience. Nolan's interests also influenced the film, though he said that he was "not too conscious" of his own influences. He said he was always "interested in memory" and how it works and was eager to put his brother's screenplay into a film so he could essentially 'test' the memories and mentalities of the audience, as each person will have a different response to the film. Finally, Nolan researched Leonard's condition in great depth, ensuring that he (and therefore the audience) could easily distinguish it from the likes of amnesia, which Nolan says has made for "some great films".

Clearly, there are several conventions within Memento that see it rooted in the film noir bracket, with Christopher Nolan bluntly stating that he "definitely" saw Memento as a film noir, and more specifically a "psychological thriller". However, in chapter 7 of the book 'Memento', written by Deborah Knight and George McKnight, we are introduced to the possibility that Memento is in fact a film of 'neo noir'. This mentions how neo noir pictures are "typically located in dystopic urban settings" whilst the protagonists are of "uncertain moral virtue". This is a perfect reflection of Memento and the ideological approach to categorising it. Furthermore, the chapter states how the characters operate in a "morally ambiguous world", which is easy to see in Memento through the actions of Leonard, Teddy and Natalie, and possibly even Burt, who works at the motel and "exploits him (Leonard)" by renting him two rooms.
The setting and environment of a neo noir is clearly different to the dark, mostly nighttime setting of a film noir, and that is what stands out when deciding whether Memento is indeed a film noir, or whether it is the slightly different neo noir.
However, Memento takes several elements of the film noir genre and completely subverts them, so it is possible that the overly daytime setting is just one of the many conventions to be challenged for effect.