The opening scene of memento

One of the first things you will notice when you begin to watch memento is the way it is presented. In the opening credits a very plain and not very interesting font combined with blue colour is used for the type. This plain straightforward font makes the audience realise the serious nature of the film this combines well with all the things the blue makes one think of, sadness, anguish and loss. The very next scene is the end of the film shown as the beginning to start the audience thinking of the chain of events that set this event into action. The first scene is played entirely in reverse up until the killing when the actual scene begins. This reversal is meant to shake up the audience and set the tone of the entire film. It is also a joke somewhat on the context of the film being in reverse. In the next scene leading up to the murder there is a small slip up when Leonard claims he told teddy he didn’t like the nickname Lennie, but he would have been unable to remember it and did not write down any notes pertaining to it.

The next scene running through the murder of teddy is used as a way of introducing the premise of the film being in reverse. The idea of the reversal is that it allows the film to focus on plot and draws the audience’s attention to the way the film is strung together rather than the occasional flashy fight scene, joke or killing.