Rating: C+
Dir: David Lynch
Star: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Michael J. Anderson
And there was me thinking Memento would be the oddest thing I’d see in a multiplex this year. Hah! Forgotten about David Lynch, hadn’t I? Silly me. This is not dissimilar to his Lost Highway, in that about half-way through, things suddenly go surreal, but this one should be renamed Lost Plot. Any synopsis must, of necessity, stick to the first half: an innocent actress wannabe rescues an amnesiac, only to find herself deep in a web of intrigue and corruption in Tinseltown. So far, so Blue Velvet (there’s even a lip-synch song), and fabulously done it is too, with the uneasy and creepy edge for which Lynch is justly renowned.
The second half, however, makes little or no sense: Chris’ theory is that, like Jacob’s Ladder, much of the movie forms the pre-death visions of one character. A second viewing might provide evidence for such a resolution, but the truth is, I was so disappointed at the apparent severe cop-out (hey, why bother giving your audience any coherent explanation?) that I really don’t think I want to see it again. Cinema is about communication between the audience and the director; I’m afraid large parts of this say nothing to me beyond, “Look at me! I’m strange!”. Then again, I don’t like Picasso either…