Memento story writer Jonathan Nolan recalls the disastrous first screenings of the psychological thriller. Director Christopher Nolan experienced a critical breakthrough with his 2001 mystery film, based on his brother Jonathan’s short story, about a man with short-term memory loss tortuously trying to solve the case of his wife’s murder. Made for under $10 million, the film employed an innovative non-linear approach similar to the tricks Nolan would later deploy for his Oscar-winning blockbuster Oppenheimer.
Memento went on to gross $40 million on its relatively small budget, and is now widely acclaimed, but the movie was originally received rather coldly by potential distributors, as Jonathan Nolan revealed recently, recalling the film’s disastrous early screenings. Check out Nolan’s remarks below (via Happy Sad Confused):
Nolan’s experience with those early Memento screenings stayed with him, and later he would go on to challenge the audience with works of his own, including his narratively daring sci-fi series Westworld and The Peripheral. As Nolan explained, both he and Christopher grew up on movies that overturned convention, convincing them that there is an audience out there for movies and TV shows that require attention and thought:
Nolan’s next big project with his long-time producing partner Lisa Joy, a series adaptation of the video game Fallout, figures to once again take the audience on a challenging journey into an unusual world. The Fallout co-creator has also collaborated with Christopher on a number of his best movies, including The Prestige and The Dark Knight.
It’s been nearly 25 years since Memento first clued critics and audiences in on the Nolan brothers’ unique approach to narrative, but it seems neither has forgotten the lessons they learned not just from making that film, but from trying to get it distributed in an environment where originality is not always prized. The wild success of Oppenheimer, which has grossed nearly $1 billion worldwide, represents proof that audiences are indeed eager to be engaged by something that requires attention to appreciate.
Source: Happy Sad Confused