Films › Editing
Memento
Directed by Christopher Nolan, 2000
Two sequences run toward each other, one in colour reversed and one in black and white forward, meeting at the end. The structure is not a gimmick because it reproduces the protagonist's condition in the audience. Each colour scene begins with the image that ended the previous one, giving the viewer a foothold. Dowdle's assembly makes a difficult structure legible on first viewing. The overlap device is essentially a controlled repetition, reusing a few seconds of footage as connective tissue so that memory loss becomes a structural principle rather than a plot description delivered through dialogue. Because the two timelines must meet exactly at the midpoint, the schedule and shot list had to be built around a fixed convergence point long before editing began, which is worth studying for any filmmaker attempting a structurally reversed or interleaved narrative rather than a simple flashback frame.
What to watch for
Watch the overlap frames at the head of each colour scene, the film's only orientation device.
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