Memento : Genre

The recurring black and white shots in Memento are typical of the Noir genre which are used in almost half of the movies as one of the two narratives. This allows the audience to explore the character Leonard in further detail and learn about his past an relationship with his wife.

"The term 'film noir'- or to be more precise 'films "noirs"- was first applied to a group of American films by the French film critic Nino Frank in 1946 (Frank 1946: 14) Frank Notes the emphasis in these films on 'criminal psychology', violence, misogyny and everyday realism ('vecu') and the extent to which the use of first person narration and multiple flashbacks serve to fragment their narratives."

Memento uses first person narration through the voiceover of Leonard the protagonist which is conventional of the Noir genre and although it is not revealed till the end it could be seen that the film revolves around criminal psychology of Leonard and the audience see's inside the mind of a deluded killer as we see him plan out his attack on 'John G' and in moments of the film starting we see him killing Teddy who we later find to be his innocent friend. Violence also drives the narrative as his main aim is to kill the person who he believes killed his wife and violence can also be seen in numerous scenes such as when Leonard punches Natalie. I do not believe Misogyny is used at all in Memento which Frank says is conventional of the genre to drive the narrative and in my opinion the women shown in Memento are often in control and powerful and are treated fairly, I dont even believe that Memento is in anyway sexist.

"Many of the features associated with Noir- the use of voice-over and flashback, the use of high contrast lighting and other 'expressionist' devices, the focus on mentally, emotionally and physically vulnerable characters, the interest in psychology, the culture of distrust marking relations between male and female characters, and the downbeat emphasises certainly real ones but they were seperate tendencies and trends which traversed a wide variety of genres and cycles in the 1940s and early 1950s."

The voice-over and flashback are a huge part of the film and allow us to explore Leonard psychologically and his views on certain characters although sometimes as audience members we have more knowledge about some characters than Leonard as he has forgot them. Leonard could be seen as vulnerable particularly in the scene involving him and Natalie where she verbally abuses Leonard knowing he will forget and then 5 minutes later walking in and out the house saying she was attacked by a drug dealer but she was really attacked by Leonard 5 minutes before which he has no recollection of which shows the 'culture of distrust'. 

Representation in Memento

Representation in Memento

There are many arguments that women are passive there has been many films said to be biased to males on based on Laura Mulvey's theories. Then when women have been active in movies that are said to be to much like men well Memento tries to strive away from that and try to make women active while keeping them looking like women and acting like women.

"meconaissance'c'mis-reconigition), that is to say they are blinded by the very narcissistic forces that structure them in the first place."



In memento Natalie is a very strong woman and does not follow the traditional endings of a woman "two traditional endings made available to women she must either die or get married." In this film Natalie makes her own path and makes sure that neither of these endings apply to her. Instead she controls the endings of the men in this film specifically Lenny and Teddy. She does this by taking advantage of Lennie's condition from the first time she meets him and from this earns his trust through photographs and knowing that Lenny wants to kill his wife's murderer. So she is able to convince Lenny to kill an innocent police officer for revenge of her boyfriend. This is different to quite a lot of women in movies for example in the movie Oldboy (2003) when Lee-soo-ah is being raped right in front of Dea-su-oh. This show how vunerable women can be in films but memento is a step away from that with Natalie defining her own future. Whereas in Oldyboy Dea-su-oh's actions cause the rape of Lee-soo-ah.

"The account of 'the male gaze' as a structuring logic in western visual culture became controversial in the early 1980's, as it left no room room for the female spectator nor for the female gaze."

In Memento if anything it has a female gaze and this is because Guy Pearce in Memento takes his shirt of so many times and for so long that the women are abel to be satisfied by the muscles of Guy Pearce. Throughout the film we see three main characters that are women and there is maybe on shot in the whole of the film which has a male gaze and this is when Natalie is fighting with Lenny in her house. this is because when Natalie   

'Momento' analysis - Frank Boylan

To What extent is the film 'Momento' part of the 'Film noir' genre?

In this short essay, I will discuss the generic conventions in the short introduction sequence to the film 'Momento' and how it does and doesn't challenge its genre 'Noir'. However, film noir cannot be defined by typical conventions. The film begins with a fade into a polaroid picture, this image shows a dead person which slowly fades away, at this point the audience should realise this introduction scene is in backwards. A death in the opening scene is generic of the 'noir' genre, it creates an enigma code of which he story is entirely based upon. This enigma code creates a variety of questions to the audience like: 'Why did he die?', and arguably more importantly 'Who killed him?'. In the film noir genre, these questions are usually not answered to the very end of the film, and the buildup is to the mystery of 'who is behind it'. However, in this film, we learn that the main protagonist actually kills him.

"Moral ambivalence, criminal violence and the contradictory complexity of situations and motives combine to give the audience a genuine sense of anxiety or insecurity"

After the polaroid fade, we see a mini montage of various items, including a pair of blood-stained glasses and an empty bullet casing. These two items connote murder, especially the empty bullet casing which shows this was in fact intended murder and not an accident. The introduction features low key lighting. The film noir article identifies this lighting as a convention, 'it creates rich black shadows', 'the low key noir style opposes light and dark'. Furthermore, slow dramatic instrumental piece creates a feeling of mystery during the intro, further creating a tense feeling.


The plot featured in 'Momento' is typical on the noir genre, it is usually based around a case and finding the guy behind the initial killing (that is introduced usually in the intro to the film).

"The detective is engaged in finding out the identity of the perpetrator and the scope of his crime."

Memento (Practice Research Project)

1)

The opening scene of Memento prepares the audience for the kind of challenging and perhaps even confusing narrative flow in which the rest of the film follows. The opening shot is over a minute in length, immediately introducing the polaroid photograph element and also the film's backwards structure, demonstrated literally in this scene by the use of slow-motion camerawork and a literal rewind of events, rather than events out of sequence yet still moving forwards individually, as in the rest of the film. This photograph and a hand are all we are given as far as story information in this first shot and are our first cues in understanding where we are in time and space in the narrative:

"We create the story in our minds on the basis of cues in the plot."   

                   (Thompson/Bordwell, Film Art: An Introduction, p77)

The first cue in the plot of Memento we are given is a photograph, the polaroid mentioned earlier featuring an unidentifiable blue figure off-centre on a floor and blood spatter upon a tiled wall above the figure. The image of this blood in such a vicious and even gritty or realistic sense immediately prompts questions from the audience, this image is an enigma code. The connotations of the blood in this context (a photograph) connotes a crime scene, and the very presence of blood is suggestive of the realistic and violent tone of the film going forward; or, more appropriately, backward. 

The audience also question who the hand holding the photograph belongs to and if they themselves have perpetrated the crime or are simply, like the audience, observing it. These questions are immediately significant, as there will be many times during the narrative in which the audience are placed in an unrecognisable place as far as time and space is concerned and must construct the story on the basis of cues in the first shot, e.g. a room, a bed, a car-seat. These cues tell the audience where they are, as they will often latch onto what they are given in order to find meaning, such as this polaroid. 

2)

Memento constantly alternates between our access to story information which Leonard knows and, as the film continues backwards in time, information which Leonard does not know. The first true sequence in the film, regardless of the first scene involving Teddy's murder by Leonard, features the same character in a cheery mood and very much alive. So, in this sense, the audience is above Leonard in the supposed 'hierarchy of knowledge' and again questioning why this character must die when he appears on good terms with Leonard. However, when the audience meets a new character they haven't met before, this character is also new to Leonard, aligning both in these moments. This shows that as the film progresses, our knowledge of future events inform our approach to Leonard and other characters' actions, determining whether these actions will act as a possible cause for a later effect. 

"...the agents of cause and effect are characters."

(Thompson/Bordwell, Film Art: An Introduction, p77)

The film alternates between a restricted and unrestricted narrative, although across many films there is always something we are not told. The audience always knows more than Leonard, having previously seen what he is going to do next e.g. kill Teddy and take a photograph. However, there are a few instances in which Leonard knows more than the audience, as we are sometimes dropped right into a scene with characters we have never met before. The characters in the film, therefore, will always know much more than Leonard, due to his condition. This means we can never truly know everything or understand each character's motivations in the narrative, demonstrated in the scene featuring the reveal of Natalie's true intentions. As in the quote, characters are the agents of cause and effect in Memento, often manipulating Leonard into furthering his self-inflicted 'romantic' detective story by opening up various avenues of investigation.

3)

Memento is certainly a film centred around a mystery, particularly in regards to how the characters and events in the narrative are associated with John G, as if there were some vast conspiracy surrounding Leonard's wife's supposed murder and rape. This turns out to be false, however, suggesting that Leonard is merely looking for things that aren't there, such as this vast conspiracy and actual reasoning behind such a heinous crime. Although, if we as the audience were looking for instant causal relations between events, we would not be watching a film firmly within the mystery sub-genre.

"...whenever any film creates a mystery, it suppresses certain story causes and presents only effects in the plot."
                                                                           (Thompson/Bordwell, Film Art: An Introduction, p79)

This quote has certain precedence in the scene in the film which features Leonard introducing how his notes work, and how they could potentially be used to manipulate him. The note on Leonard's leg reading "SHAVE HERE" is an instant reminder to the audience that these notes could be manipulated easily, because they have no context, assumedly so that they remain simple in their instruction to someone with his condition. The plot withholds why certain notes are written until later, some not at all, in order to arouse our curiosity and promote the audience's job in assembling plot threads to eventually form the story. This is a key component of Memento's mystery, and the often non-linear approach to telling this story contributes to the confusion felt by both the main character and the audience in investigating such a mystery.

      

Memento 1st Draft

spectators approach a narrative film with definite expectations. we have anticipation's that are characteristics of narrative form itself.

Todorov's theory suggests that every conventional narrative is structured to put an equilibrium at the outset which is then disrupted by some action. There is then a recognition of the disruption. There is always an attempt to repair the disruption before it ends with a reinstatement of the equilibrium. A dominant ideology of a narrative form is that the film must follow a linear pattern which flows in one direction. It informs us of a regular structure that films tend to follow. Memento has the fundamental features of this linear pattern as black and white scenes move forwardly which these shots are used for plot exposition. However the colour shots move backwards where we start with a scene which our pre-anticipations puts it at the end of the narrative form. Throughout the film the pattern of direction challenges our anticipations. The uses of flashbacks, were we see clips of Leonards wife, create the confusing nature of this narrative structure. Using flashbacks in a narrative which is already moving backwards is prone to confuse. I used an object which appears in many scenes which when written down in order of scene can be reversed to make a perfectly working narrative. This object was the car.

we often make assumptions and influences about events in a narrative.

Events in a narrative are definitely genuine and not an accident. However events have to be explained and influenced. Just showing a murder scene, out of context, with no other relevance throughout the film means you can not relate with time and space. With causes and effcts

Textual analysis

Memento - textual analysis practice

Although memento contains many of your stereotypical representations of woman it is clear that that it also challenges many of these representations. Challenging the idea that woman are passive rather than active like the male. The main female character, Natalie is the perfect example and is used as a facilitator to challenge this traditional ideology.  As stated

"Representation of 'The more perfect, more complete, more powerful ideal ego' of the ail hero stands in stark opposition to the distorted image of the passive and powerless female character. "

               (Laura Mulvey, 1989, p.20, Visual Pleasure And Narrative Cinema)

The scene in particular when we see Natalie manipulate Lennard is a perfect example of how this film challenges the view of Mulvey's. 'Powerless' Mulvey states. Natalie? This scene turns that view completely on it's head showing Natalie to be the complete opposite as she manipulates and takes control of the entire situation and here we then see Natalie as the villain rather than a victim. She clearly holds topic management in this case which again is not stereotypical traditionally for a female to have and also as Lennard is the vulnerable character in this case due to his short term memory condition again shows how typical gender characteristics are challenged.

This film also demonstrates the stereotypical conventions of what a woman is meant to be. Seeing them as the weaker, vulnerable gender; sensitive and with feeling unlike the strong alpha male who often takes control of situation and dominates the screen

"The spectator is actively made to identify with the male rather than the female character in the film" (Laura Mulvey, 1989, p.20, Visual Pleasure And Narrative Cinema)

This reinforces this ideology of how the woman is represented as the weaker sex and the complete opposite to a man. Female characters represent the fear of castration but also symbolise a lack of manhood. 

"The sign 'woman' can be analysed as a structure, a code or a convention. it represents the ideological meaning that 'woman' has for men. in relation to herself, she means nothing, Woman are negatively represented as 'not-man'." 

(Claire Johnston, 1991, pg.25)

The scene when Natalie enters hysterical having being beat up by 'Dobb' illustrates this as she is overly emotional, something which men aren't considered to be, portraying her as 'Not man'. The fact she is going to Lennard for help signifies how she aware of her female hopelessness as she has gone to a man for help who are often seen as the protectors. It also emphasises the view of female inferior as despite Lennard's disability he is still strong enough to protect her.

Through the many arguments that develop in Laura Mulvey's Male gaze theory, one thing that i agree with is the fact that woman are represented in a way that reminds the male subject of the "lack of penis". This argument in itself may be why woman are often represented as disintegrated and luxated and whilst the analysis of females is i often concerned of the appearance of woman, many believe this deracination extends to woman's voices.


"The female voice is restricted to the realm of the body. This amounts to keeping it outside discourse. The female voice can hardly reach a signifying position in language, meaning or power and is hence all too easily reduced to screams, babble or silence in dominant cinema."

(Anneke Smelik, Pg.496, The Cinema Book)

looking back at the previous scenes, the first one we see Natalie beaten and apprehensive (which is part of her ploy to manipulate Leonard). Her voice is raised and the cadence of her speech increase so that the words become nothing but a "Babble" and later reduced to a raspy whisper. The scene that closely follows, when then see Natalie scream again as she ridicules Leonard which is one of the ways a woman exerts authority by raising or changing her voice. Further more where Smelik alleged that the woman is "Restricted to the realm of her body" and in the first scene discussion revolves around her being beaten physically and in the scene that follows Natalie's opposition ally used violent language which connotes sexual intercourse, calling Leonard's wife things such as a 'Cunt' and 'Whore' all negative words. All of these components contribute to Smelik's theory and reinforces what she says that the voice can be used to displace woman in film 

Memento Research: Feminist Film Theory

Memento Research: Feminist Film Theory

"Feminism is a social movement that has had an enormous impaction film theory and criticism." - (Anneke Smelik's 'Feminist Film Theory', pg 1)

Memento is an interesting film to study the representation of women. Despite the film having a select number of female characters, their portrayal and representation constantly changes during the film's narrative. Feminists film critics will argue whether Memento's portrayal of women shows them either in a negative or positive light.

"Controlling power of the male character." - (Anneke Smelik's 'Feminist Film Theory', pg 1)

One interesting view of women shown in Memento is to do with women being dominated by the males around them. This can be seen in the character of Natalie, herself being a strong woman in her own right however she is ultimately controlled by her drug dealer boyfriend. Some would argue that it is common in cinema for women to be scared of males and their abuse. This is apparent in the scene where Natalie hides in her own home from the threat of Dodd, a masculine mobster who is looking to cause her some harm. Some feminist female critics would argue that Natalie fears him because women are under the control of men. This has been apparent in cinema for years according to Claire Johnson;

Claire Johnson, ('Feminist Film Theory', pg 1), talks about this concept - "She put forward a view of how classic cinema constructs the ideological image of women. Drawing on Roland Barthe's notion of myth, Johnston investigated the myth of 'woman' in classic cinema.'

Johnson found that women in cinema commonly take a passive role and are under the command of men. This is shown with the representation Natalie, who takes orders for her drug dealer boyfriend Jimmy in the bar she works at. Thus, in this way Memento conforms to the usual representation of women being at the hands of male characters are being controlled by them inadvertently.

"quote to be put here."

However, Memento's women are not always shown as passive and weak. In the scene where Natalie taunts and screams at Leonard, calling his deceased wife things like 'whore' and 'stupid'. The way she is framed gives her dominance over Leonard, him appearing vulnerable and meek in comparison to the booming, aggressive Natalie. Her body language also gives her power and control as Natalie puffs herself in a display to appear more intimidating to Leonard. She is shown to be a puppet-master of Leonard, purposely controlling and manipulating him into doing things that will benefit her. Natalie becomes this 'femme-fatale' archetype, a common representation of women in cinema. She uses her sex appeal to convince Leonard to aid her, even in one scene kissing him seductively and allowing him to sleep next to her in bed. This depiction of women conveys a negative representation of women, one were females use their body and their minds to manipulate men.

quote here

Women in Memento also are used as plot devices. The film revolves around Leonard seeking revenge for his wife's murder which went on to cause his condition.

Memento - Genre

Whilst there are many elements of Memento that could be considered as typical of the noir genre, the attention is drawn to the general connotations of noir, in particular it's association with death.  Nolan, the director, stresses the importance of crime, violence and death in Memento which is why this film is identified as a noir:

"moral ambivalence  criminal violence and the contradictory complexity of situations and motives combine to give the audience a genuine sense of anxiety or insecurity, and this is the hallmark of the film noir in our era.. the vocation of film nor was to create a specific malaise."

                                                                               (Borde and Chaumenton 1955:15; my translation)


The opening scene of Memento gives a perfect example and gives the audience a taste of what is yet to come. The first thing the audience see is a Polaroid picture of a bloody dead man developing backwards, by this we grasp the scene is in rewind. The amount of blood on the wall and the gun indicate criminal violence and in addition, by making the scene in reverse adds the complexity to the film.

Another element that is considered as typical of the noir genre is the complex narratives, they are often confusing because of the heavy use of flashbacks and first-person voice-over narration. Using these features frequently allows Nolan to explore the characters in more depth as we see Leonard's past in the flashbacks. However this can often be confusing as the flashbacks in this film are not in chronological order. A particular type of complexity is built into most stories of detection. As Ponder - following Todorov (1997) - explains:

"The detective formula requires a particular kind of plot structure. the forward moving plot is separate from the underlying crime. Works conform to the detective formula have, as a formal characteristic, a double plot structure. The activity of detection is the action of thriller, and in what Maureen Turim calls 'psychological melodrama' (1989:143) 'interiority' - or 'vulnerable interiority' is, in other words, a 1940's trend, a trend by no means a restricted to films within the category or canon of film noir."

                                                                                                                                   Todorov (1997)


Memento's narrative begins at the very start of the film and ends in the middle, this can confuse the audience massively. Leonard's flashbacks are in black and white which move forward in the narrative, the double plot structure eventually collides when he kills Jimmy as the scene subtly changes from black and white (flashback) into the main narrative. The voice-over is Leonard thinking to himself, and as he is the main protagonist, we trust that is the truth. However this confuses the audience as we start to question Leonard's actions.

Memento Research Investigation: Narrative

Cause and effect plays a huge role in the film Memento but as the film can be described as non-linear, the audience already experience the effect before finding out what the cause is. Because of this, the film can be seen as both unusual and complicated at times, not to be watched halfhearted. Also, even though the narrative structure of the film is unconventional there are still aspects to it which are very conventional for films, such as action and enigma codes. 

"A plot's withholding of effects is perhaps most disruptive at the end of a film." 

(Thomson/Boardwell, Film Art: An Introduction, p79)

Even though the audience experiences the end of the film at the very start, Nolan still uses a variety of enigma codes which provoke questions. It could even be said that the unusual narrative structure of the film is an enigma code in itself as it forces the audience to be confused and want to understand the film further. Through the use of the black and white scenes the audience receive the huge enigma code of 'Who is on the phone?' It can also be said that the cut away scenes are also action codes because with every scene we learn new information about both Leonard and Sammy, therefore developing the narrative and driving us closer to the parallel narrative in colour. As Nolan keeps the identity of the person on the phone secret until 18 minutes to the end of the film, the mystery builds up to an extent. This is also accentuated in the black and white scene where Leonard is on the phone to the mystery person and he peels off the baggage from his arm and it reveals a tattoo that says 'NEVER ANSWER THE PHONE'. 

Memento relies on characters developing the narrative through their different reactions to situations, but due to the unusualness of the movie, the audience experience it in a different way. As the colour part of the movie is played backwards, the audience experience the effect of an event before learning how the characters triggered it. This is intriguing because it causes enigma codes which aren't answered until further along in the film, but in actuality they've already happened in the narratives time and space reality. An example of this is with Leonard's broken window on the drivers side in his Jaguar. It is first acknowledged by Teddy, in the 5th colour scene but it doesn't happen until the 11th colour scene. Even though it doesn't really effect the narrative too much it's a little detail which audiences can feel gratified with after they find out. 

"By triggering and reacting to events, characters play roles within film's formal system."

(Thomson/Bordwell, Film Art: An Introduction, p75)

As Leonard is our main protagonist it can be said that he develops the narrative the most as he is in every single scene within the whole film. But as people such as Natalie and Teddy use his condition to their advantages and manipulate him into doing things it can be said that they develop the narrative the most as they trigger new events. An example of this is Natalie using Leonard to abduct and ultimately kill Dodd without him understanding why. In the scene where the the audience finally learn that Natalie isn't just helping Leonard because 'she has lost someone as well' but because she needs him to protect her from Dodd is an eye opener for the audience because our feelings about Natalie are completely changed and she becomes a more manipulative and sinister character. By Natalie choosing to use Leonard's condition to her advantage she creates a separate storyline in which develops the narrative. 

In Memento, Nolan very cleverly uses the audiences expectations of an event or person to make a statement and ultimately turn their idea of it on it's head. Through the use of the backwards narrative he can easily establish a character or storyline in which the audience just accept but as the narrative develops, what the audience believe is true may not be.

Memento Essay (Genre)

There are many elements of Memento that could easily be considered as typical of the Noir genre, one of which is the use of motifs throughout the movie. This allows the director Nolan, in a film about struggling with the memory, to test the audiences memory and immerse them in to the movie in a more interesting way:

'Nevertheless, various critics have sought different unifying features: motif and tone (Durgnat, 1970), social background and artistic/cultural influences (Schrader, 1971 [sic]), iconography, mood and characterisation (Mcarthur, 1972), vista style (Place & Peterson, 1974), the 'hard-boiled' tradition (Gregory, 1976), narrative and iconography (Dyer, 1977), a master plot paradigm (Damico, 19780, conditions of production (Kerr, 1979), paranoia (Buchsbaum, 1986…) and patterns of narration (Telotte, 1989)' 

A perfect example of this is the similarity of two scenes, the first time (so the last time) the audience see Leonard and Teddy visit the derelict industrial building (or 'fucked up building' as Teddy would choicely put it) and the last time we see Leonard and Teddy in the derelict industrial building (so somewhere around the middle of the movie), where the  slow panning wide shot of the cars approaching the derelict building is almost identical, in the first instance the car being Leonard's pick up truck and in the second instance it is Leonard in the Jaguar pulling up next to pick up truck, the pick up truck becomes, somewhat, a motif as it is a reoccurring idea and it symbolises the idea of memory's unreliability. The fact that Leonard left the truck there signifies his struggle with memory and its reliability and also it tasks the audience in a way as it makes them use their memory to remember that Leonard left his truck there, also making them feel in a similar boat to Leonard.

Another element of Memento that makes it fit into the Noir genre, outlined by this article, is how different it is:

'A key feature of all these essays, articles, chapters and books is an acknowledgement of the heterogeneity of the films, and hence the potentially problematic nature of the 'phenomenon' the term 'film noir' has been used to label' 

This applies to Memento as its unique narrative structure defies genre conventions of the thriller, mystery genre, which in fact plays right into the Film Noir genre as it has heterogeneity, meaning it is various and different, a key component in the film Noir genre and a problem as defining a genre and heterogeneity don't go hand in hand.  

Female Representation in Memento

Carol Clover claims that in many a film, though generally horror, a female protagonist is established as the 'lone survivor'. The female's previously feminized appearance or character is transformed into something much more dominating or significant, thus she has single-handedly been capable of overcoming the odds;
    "She rests her case on the narrative role of the 'Final Girl': the one girl in the film who fights, resists and survives the killer-monster. The final girl acquires the gaze, and dominates the action, and is thus masculinised'. (Anneke Smelik, The Cinema Book, p495)
In this clip we first truly see Natalie when she drags Lennard down into his seat. She easily shows dominance and power, her black clothes and sunglasses agitate Lenny enough into him asking her to remove the glasses. From her face we clearly see a cut lip and bruises, thus indicating she has experienced either abuse or conflict. However, her now strong and powerful hold indicates she has overcome this and is now able to have a dominating presence. Her language is somewhat borderline spiteful, with "you don't remember me", and "you have those freaky tattoos" referencing his mental condition. Though in this film we obviously experience no 'horror monster', Natalie's repression is caused through the male characters in the film. Her boyfriend clearly possesses a hold over her, and Lennard shows physical dominance over her when beating him up. Natalie's very last line in the film is "we are both survivors". This represents, her overcoming of repression, and how she has able to overcome obstacles beheld upon her, such as a violent drug-dealing boyfriend. At the end of the plot Natalie is no longer repressed or dominated over; she is simply able to leave carefree and unharmed.
       Mulvey states that in many films, the audience is often made to feel closer to the male character than any female that we see. Whether this be through idolisation or even personal identification, an audience is positioned in a way that we are forcefully made to establish a bond with only the male characters we see;
"Hence the spectator is actively made to identify with the male rather than with the female character in film". (p491)
From the beginning of the movie Memento, we are made to identify with the male protagonist, Lennie. However, due to is distorted memory and unreliable narration, it often becomes hard or confusing to form a bond with him. Thus, arguably we are made to identify with other characters in the film, such as Natalie. In the scene when Natalie enters her home after being beaten up by Lennie, she plays the innocent victim. Previously we have seen her plan to sabotage Lennie, and how she plans to "work him to her advantage". Lennie is obviously unable to remember this, and so we may feel annoyed that he is in-fact caring for Natalie, finding ice for her bruises. Throughout this film then, the theory as said by Muvey would in-fact be reversed. Natalie is one of the only other characters we can form a bond with, and as Nolan himself claimed Lenny to be  "a character that we distrust", Natalie is perhaps somebody who we can trust. Her emotion is quite real, and so it is more possible for us to form a bond with her.
    Narrative structure of traditional cinema often establishes the male as 'active and powerful'. He is the the agent around whom the dramatic action unfolds, and is often the hero who saves the day. The same cannot be said for the females;
"The female character is passive and powerless, she is the object of desire for the male characters". (p491)
In Memento it is true that there is a central male character in which the narrative falls around. Lenny (and his memory problems), have the job of gaining vengeance for his wife. In particular scene, Natalie reveals her true character in claiming how she "plans to use" Lenny to her advantage. She begins to call his wife a "whore", as well as claiming him to be a "retard". This obviously shows a certain amount of masculinity and anger, as this type of behaviour would not stereotypically be associated with a woman. She begins to go as far as in fact making fun of his 'manhood', claiming that he may of contracted his condition from his sexually diseased wife. This is one point in the film when Natalie in-fact powerful, as she obviously is able to manipulate somebody else. She perhaps works this to her advantage, as although she is female, she is mentally stronger than he is. However, this is completely reversed later on in the scene. The only way Lenny manages to overcome this is by exuding his physical power over her, by beginning to beat her up; punching her in the face. Thus, Natalie is dominated and is powerless in relation to Lenny's strength. 
       Not only is it the narrative and plot that can represent a female, but technical elements; (camera, sound, lighting) can also play a huge part in how an audience perceives a certain character. 
"Camera movement, continuity editing, framing, narrative unity, spectator point of view, and spectacle of women are all analysed in feminist counter-cinema." (Jane Gaines, Women and Representation, Jump Cut no.29).

     One key element in the film Memento is Lenny's recollection of his wife. This is shown quite early on in the film, and is a short montage of numerous different aspects that apparently made up his ex-wifes life. She is typically attractive with blonde hair and a pretty face, signifying that this woman is 'worth fighting for'. We see her in a number of different scenarios, such as cooking in the kitchen, getting changed, shopping or even in the shower. All of these are typically feminine situations, and thus she is placed in the position of being the typical female, thus the audience is able to recollect exactly how we see imagine her. This goes as far to say she is even left nameless, thus we see her as more of an object rather than a person; her character in the credits being "Lennard's Wife". At the end of the film we learn that she in-fact did not die, but simple left Lenny as she was unable to accept his condition and thus was able to get over him. This again shows a certain element of weakness; she was mentally unable to comprehend her situation, and so her only option is to leave.

     Overall, I think Memento purposefully plays on the typical elements that a society or an audience would expect from a female. When considering whether it is a feminist film or not, it is clear that is plays on the more stereotypical elements that we would expect from a film; vengeance for a hard done-by woman, and another female that in-fact uses her position of a female to her advantage, using it to overcome the only person who is actually weaker than her (somebody with a mental illness). However, it is not completely irrelevant to forget the film in fact draws us away from the male protagonist; leaving the audience to feel detached to Lenny and allowing us to make bonds with other characters elsewhere. 

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.