Hear My Eyes: Memento
Guy Pearce in Christopher Nolan’s edgy 2000 film, Memento
City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney.
When I heard that Christopher Nolan’s 2000 stylish neo-noir thriller Memento was being screened at the City Recital Hall as part of an immersive cinematic experience accompanied by drums and electronic instruments, I was intrigued.
Michael ‘CAVS’ Cavanagh, the drummer from the uniquely named psychedelic rock band King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard (KGLW) performs solo on multiple drum kits and a suite of electronic instruments throughout the screening, accentuating the intensity and confusion of Nolan’s film’s narrative. The band has built a following through collaborations with Terminator 2, Chopper, Hellraiser and Pan’s Labyrinth.
The film itself is unforgettable: stylish, beguiling, amazing, confronting and dazzling with striking visuals, sharp editing and grainy cinematography that interlocks colour with black and white. It’s a back to front, inside out puzzle where the questions become more and more absolute as glimpses of information are revealed. What greater terror than to doubt oneself? What is truth? Is it fact? Is it perception? It can be what we want it to be.
It’s an edgy film and its repetitive nature lends itself extremely well to Cavanagh’s steady, monotonic drumming, replacing the original soundtrack. The melee of drums and electronics offers a new spin to a whole new audience and lends itself extremely well, compounding the angst and psychological terror the film brings.
The plot? Former insurance investigator Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce, blond, lean and fit) is searching for his wife’s killer. Hampering his efforts is a rare, incurable condition that affects his short-term memory. Although able to recall details before his wife’s death, Leonard is unable to retain new information for longer than a few minutes. Living in a rundown motel, he uses a detailed system of notes, Polaroid photographs and tattoos to keep track of the leads he has established. Characters who play a part in Leonard’s quest include the unpredictable Natalie (Carrie-Ann Moss) and the mysterious, slimy Teddy (Joe Pantoliano).
Judging by the positive reaction from the mostly young audience, the concept resonates. For purists, Nolan’s film is at its intriguing best as conceived by the filmmaker, triggering the key to the door of our own imagination.
City Recital Hall
Saturday August 28, 2026