PSCH 352, Summer 2005
Prof. Trina Kershaw
Memento Assignment (due Tuesday, June 21)

Rent the movie "Memento" and discuss the cognitive deficits of the main character,
Lenny, based on what you have learned in class.  What are his difficulties and how
does he cope with them?  How would you describe his cognitive problems using
terminology that we have used in class or in the articles you read?  Is there anything
that Lenny can do which contradicts what you learned in class about his deficit?

You do not need to write a complete review of the movie or summarize the entire plot. 
You should actually avoid a lengthy discussion of the plot.  You need only discuss the
information necessary to explain the characters' situations.  I’ve seen the movie so a
"Ebert and Roeper" type review is not necessary.

You should be able to cover this in 2 pages double spaced and typed, and in ESSAY form. 
Please be advised that the movie is rated R for some language and violence. I have included
a review below.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video
Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential) and Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix) shine in this absolute stunner
of a movie. Memento combines a bold, mind-bending script with compelling action and virtuoso
performances. Pearce plays Leonard Shelby, hunting down the man who raped and murdered his
 wife. The problem is that "the incident" that robbed Leonard of his wife also stole his ability to
make new memories. Unable to retain a location, a face, or a new clue on his own, Leonard
continues his search with the help of notes, Polaroids, and even homemade tattoos for vital information.

Because of his condition, Leonard essentially lives his life in short, present-tense segments, with no
clear idea of what's just happened to him. That's where Memento gets really interesting; the story
begins at the end, and the movie jumps backward in 10-minute segments. The suspense of the movie
lies not in discovering what happens, but in finding out why it happened. Amazingly, the movie achieves
edge-of-your-seat excitement even as it moves backward in time, and it keeps the mind hopping as
cause and effect are pieced together.