You never know when the next great director will come to town. In the Summer of 1999, a fresh face named Christopher Nolan was given a budget of $4.5 million for his script with him attached as director. The movie prepped seven weeks for a five-week shoot around Los Angeles (mostly in the Valley.) Brad Pitt was initially attached to play Leonard, but backed out. Aaron Eckhart got close, but the role eventually went to Guy Pearce. Director of Photography Mark Vargo passed because he didn’t understand the script. The job ultimately went to Vargo’s Camera Operator Wally Pfister, the first of seven films Pfister shot for Nolan. (Pfister later admitted he didn’t understand the script either.)
The timeline of events had everyone who saw the film going down the rabbit hole of trying to piece together what happens. When it was released, some people criticized the film for being quite average when you put the events in chronology, that the film is riding on a gimmick. I think that’s missing the point entirely. By putting you in Leonard’s headspace but retaining all that happens, you see how easily he can be manipulated and how he’s lying to himself rather than face the truth. A brilliant tale pieced together quickly by a small crew with a low-budget.
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