“Memento,” March 5

Thursday, March 5, 7 p.m.

Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL

With Entertainment Weekly calling the 2001 Christopher Nolan classic "one of those jigsaw puzzles whose pieces snap together more tightly with each viewing," the iconic thriller Memento enjoys a March 5 screening as part of the community series Filmosofia, this evening at Rock Island's Rozz-Tox also featuring a reading discussion on the movie's philosophical themes hosted by Augustana College's Dr. Deke Gould.

A psychological thriller written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Memento is based on the short story "Memento Mori" by his brother Jonathan Nolan, and stars Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano. The film follows Leonard Shelby (Pearce), a man who suffers from anterograde amnesia – resulting in short-term memory loss and the inability to form new memories – who uses an elaborate system of photographs, handwritten notes, and tattoos in an attempt to uncover the perpetrator who killed his wife and caused him to sustain the condition.

The film's non-linear narrative is presented as two different sequences of scenes interspersed during the film: a series in black-and-white that is shown chronologically, and a series of color sequences shown in reverse order (simulating for the audience the mental state of the protagonist). The two sequences meet at the end of the film, producing one complete and cohesive narrative.

Memento premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2000, and was theatrically released in the United States on March 16, 2001. It was acclaimed by critics, who praised its nonlinear structure and themes of memory, perception, grief, and self-deception. With Nolan's movie currently boasting a 93-percent "freshness" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, ReelViews' film critic James Berardinelli gave the film four out of four stars, ranking it number one on his year-end Top Ten list and number 63 on his All-Time Top 100 films. Berardinelli praised the film's backwards narrative, saying that "what really distinguishes this film is its brilliant, innovative structure," and noted that Guy Pearce gives an "astounding ... tight, and thoroughly convincing performance."

Nolan's breakout hit was also a commercial success, earning $40 million against a $9 million budget and gaining a cult following. Memento received many accolades, including the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. In 2017, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Memento will be shown in the Filmosofia series on March 5, and the 7 p.m. screening will be preceded by a 6:30 p.m. discussion on excerpts from Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, copies of which are available in the cafe. The screening will followed by Dr. Deke Gould's discussion of the movie, admission to the event for ages 17 and older is free, and more information is available by calling (309)200-0978 and visiting RozzTox.com.