Memento’s timeline, though confusing at first, is smart and unique. It takes a new approach to storytelling that enhances the viewer's connection to the film. Memento’s timeline serves as a way for audiences to identify with Leonard and his condition. The first way Memento’s timeline helps create empathy for Leonard is through alternating between timelines. The break in time between the black and white timeline and the color timeline makes it a challenge to remember what happened previously when each timeline resumes. This disconnect between scenes draws a connection to how Leonard must live. Forgetting what happened in the film a few minutes prior is similar to the short term memory loss he experiences, forgetting what he is doing every ten…show more content… Ending each scene where the previous one began ensures that the audience never know what happened before the current scene. Again, this mimics Leonard’s short term memory loss. He never knows why he’s doing what he’s doing or what led him to where he is. The viewer also experiences this at the beginning of each color scene. We jump into the timeline at an unknown place, not knowing what happened in the plot to lead the characters to their current situation. A third element of the film that contributes to the audience’s confusion is the notes and tattoos Leonard has. For a good part of the movie, we have no idea what they mean. Specifically, several photos are shown with notes scrawled underneath. The viewer is in the same boat as Leonard because he has not idea who these people really are or what exactly his messages refer to, and neither do they. The presentation of Memento is complicated, yet well thought out. Memento’s creators successfully combined two separate timelines to create a film that is just confusing enough to be intriguing. Strategically missing information caused by alternating and reverse timelines allows the audience to relate to Leonard and his short term memory
