Amnsia e Narradores de Jav: a memria em dois tempos

Marcelino Rodrigues da Silva

Universidade Vale do Rio Verde (UninCor)
Brasil


Localice en este documento

Resumo: O trabalho uma re!le"#o sobre o tema da memria a partir de dois !ilmes$
%a leitura de Amnsia (Christopher %olan& 'U(& )***)& evidenciarei as di!eren+as entre
acontecimento e narra+#o& e"pressas pela estrutura narrativa do !ilme& e as inter!er,ncias
do presente na rememora+#o do passado$ %a an-lise de Narradores de Jav ('liane
Ca!!& Brasil& )**.)& discutirei os aspectos sociais da memria& /ue se con!igura no
!ilme como um terreno marcado por con!litos e negocia+0es$ (rticulando as duas obras&
por !im& colocarei em !oco /uest0es como a necessidade de narrar para viver& as
rela+0es entre discurso memorial1stico e identidade e a import2ncia do es/uecimento
como mecanismo de !uncionamento da memria$
Palabras clave: Memria& Memento& Ch$ %olan& %arradores de 3av& 'liane Ca!!

Em uma acep+#o ampla& /ue engloba o processo mental& a atividade discursiva e a
pr-tica social de resgate incessante do passado 4 a /uest#o da memria sem d5vida um
tema eminentemente contempor2neo$ 6ara evidenciar essa pertin,ncia& basta lembrar
algumas circunst2ncias do mundo de ho7e& em /ue os problemas relativos 8 memria
est#o claramente presentes$ %o universo das comunica+0es& por e"emplo$& as novas
m1dias e tecnologias midi-ticas recriam constantemente as !ormas de perceber&
acumular e interpretar as in!orma+0es sobre o passado$ %o mundo pol1tico& novos e
antigos movimentos de a!irma+#o tnica& religiosa& de g,nero e de car-ter nacionalista
aparecem ou retornam com grande !or+a& invariavelmente valendo4se do apelo a uma
determinada interpreta+#o de sua tra7etria no tempo$ ' no prprio campo acad,mico&
disciplinas como a histria& a an-lise do discurso& os estudos culturais e a literatura
comparada se entregam a um intenso debate sobre as di!erentes pr-ticas discursivas de
recupera+#o e interpreta+#o do passado& assumindo como pressuposto o car-ter sempre
vic-rio& lacunar e ideolgico da linguagem$
'm !un+#o dessa contemporaneidade& resolvi estabelecer como ob7etivo deste trabalho
discutir a /uest#o da memria a partir de duas obras cinematogr-!icas relativamente
recentes$ 'ssas obras s#o os longa4metragens Narradores de Jav& um divertido !ilme
brasileiro dirigido por 'liane Ca!! e lan+ado em )**.& e Amnsia& uma produ+#o
americana em tom de suspense& dirigida por Christopher %olan e lan+ada no ano de
)***$
Narradores de Jav conta a histria de um povoado perdido no interior brasileiro& /ue
se v, 8s voltas com a constru+#o de uma usina hidreltrica em sua regi#o& o /ue levar- 8
inunda+#o de todo o vale de 3av& amea+ando a prpria e"ist,ncia da comunidade$ 'm
!ace desse perigo& os moradores do povoado resolvem em assemblia reali9ar um
es!or+o :cient1!ico; de recupera+#o e escrita de suas :grandes histrias; do passado& na
esperan+a de mostrar /ue o vilare7o era um patrim<nio histrico a ser preservado e
assim evitar seu desaparecimento$ 6ara isso& decidem convocar (nt<nio Bi-
(interpretado por 3os =umont)& antigo carteiro e 5nico a dominar as letras no povoado&
e /ue havia sido banido para os arredores do vilare7o por !alsi!icar e enviar cartas
meledicentes sobre os outros moradores& no intuito de manter a ag,ncia dos correios em
atividade e preservar seu emprego$ ( maior parte do !ilme ocupada pelas peripcias de
(nt<nio Bi-& coletando com os membros mais destacados da comunidade as tais
:grandes histrias do povo 7avtico; e se preparando para !i"-4las pela escrita num
caderno grande e imponente$ ( tare!a& no entanto& n#o chega a se concreti9ar& pois o
escriba se perde em !un+#o das in5meras discord2ncias entre as narrativas /ue coletava
com os moradores e das suas prprias tend,ncias para a pregui+a e o del1rio criativo$ (o
!inal da narrativa& as esperan+as da comunidade se !rustram e o vilare7o inundado& mas
seus antigos moradores seguem 7untos para se estabelecerem em outro territrio$ >riste
diante imagem das casas /ue submergiam& (nt<nio Bi- resolve retomar sua empreitada
e come+a& e!etivamente& a registrar em seu caderno a histria do povo de 3av& /ue
segue em seu encal+o& discutindo interminavelmente sobre /ual :verdade; deveria ser
!i"ada pela escrita$
O !ilme Amnsia possui um enredo e uma estrutura narrativa e"tremamente engenhosos&
/ue se entregam com di!iculdades para o espectador$ ? a histria de @ennA (interpretado
por BuA 6earce)& um homem /ue n#o consegue reter in!orma+0es novas sobre o passado
recente& acreditando porm /ue se lembra com precis#o de sua vida antes do violento
assalto /ue provocou seu problema de memria e a morte de sua esposa$ =esde ent#o&
sua vida gira em torno do ob7etivo de encontrar e matar o suposto assassino& /ue
perseguido com a a7uda de uma srie de arti!1cios /ue possibilitam ao protagonista lidar
com o es/uecimento& se orientar na investiga+#o e se prevenir contra os engodos dos
outros personagens da trama$ Cotos de polaride& anota+0es& recortes de documentos&
tatuagens e h-bitos como n#o !alar ao tele!one e olhar nos olhos do interlocutor s#o
alguns desses arti!1cios /ue constituem o arsenal do investigador amnsico$ =ois planos
narrativos se alternam& ao ritmo dos es/uecimentos do protagonista& di!erenciando4se
pelo tratamento da imagem& em cores no plano principal e em preto4e4brando no
secund-rio$ %o come+o do !ilme& o espectador condu9ido a uma sensa+#o de
estranhamento& /ue dura at o momento em /ue ele percebe /ue o plano principal segue
uma cronologia invertida& com as cortes das cenas marcando recuos at o ponto em /ue
a cena anterior come+ava$ %a busca pelo suposto assassino& @ennA interage com
diversos personagens& destacando4se um detetive com ares malandros /ue se chama
>eddA e /ue& na cena inicial do plano narrativo principal& morto pelo protagonista$ %o
!inal do !ilme& os dois planos narrativos convergem 4 passagem /ue indicada por uma
cena /ue come+a em preto4e4branco e ganha cores em um determinado instante 4 e
acontece o momento do reconhecimento& em /ue >eddA revela a @ennA a chave de seu
enigma: o verdadeiro respons-vel pela morte de sua esposa havia sido o prprio @ennA&
/ue logo a seguir opta pelo auto4engodo e prepara para si mesmo uma pista !alsa& /ue o
levar- a acreditar /ue o assassino era >eddA$ Se con!iar nas palavras de >eddA
(possibilidade /ue pode ser /uestionada& diante das in5meras suspeitas /ue s#o lan+adas
sobre ele ao longo da narrativa)& o espectador levado a concluir /ue mesmo as
lembran+as mais antigas de @ennA haviam sido alteradas& deslocadas e manipuladas&
com a !inalidade de esconder do protagonista o !ato de era ele o assassino de sua esposa$
=o ponto de vista assumido neste trabalho& a primeira observa+#o /ue se imp0e na
an-lise desses dois !ilmes o !ato de /ue& cada um 8 sua maneira& ambos temati9am o
car-ter amb1guo e parado"al da memria e& no limite& de toda atividade de conserva+#o
e resgate do passado$ %as duas obras& a lembran+a das e"peri,ncias individuais e
coletivas uma necessidade vital /ue con!ere uma identidade 8s personagens&
possibilitando a sua prpria sobreviv,ncia e situando4as no mundo em /ue vivem$ Mas&
ao mesmo tempo& o es!or+o da memria parece ser tambm uma busca inevitavelmente
condenada ao !racasso& pois o passado aparece nos dois !ilmes como uma miragem& /ue
escapa ao olhar das personagens e inventada por elas a partir de uma perspectiva
presente$
Os moradores do vale do 3av precisam lembrar e escrever suas histrias para /ue a
comunidade e suas tradi+0es n#o desapare+am& tragadas pelo avan+o implac-vel da
modernidade$ '& mesmo /ue essa escrita n#o tenha se concreti9ado& no !im das contas
parece ter sido 7ustamente o es!or+o coletivo /ue por ela !oi empreendido o respons-vel
pela n#o dissipa+#o dos la+os entre os membros da comunidade& /ue seguem 7untos para
se estabelecerem em outro territrio$ 3- no !ilme de Christopher %olan& o investigador
amnsico !a9 de suas tcnicas de memori9a+#o arti!icial a verdadeira sustenta+#o de sua
e"ist,ncia& permitindo4lhe manter em !oco o ob7etivo de vingar a morte da esposa& /ue
parece ser sua 5nica ra9#o de viver$
Como contraponto a esse con7unto de rela+0es entre os su7eitos e suas memrias& os dois
!ilmes mostram de modo en!-tico os limites e as armadilhas da empreitada
memorial1stica$ 'm Amnsia& a prpria estrutura narrativa sublinha& pela cronologia
!ragmentada e invertida& as di!eren+as entre o narrado e o vivido$ (o longo do !ilme& a
obsess#o do protagonista por suas tcnicas mneum<nicas revela uma permanente
descon!ian+a& glosada por uma !ala em /ue ele declara e"plicitamente sua convic+#o de
/ue& mesmo nas pessoas supostamente normais& a memria trai+oeira e tende sempre 8
in!idelidade$ ' !inalmente& o des!echo da narrativa surpreende& revelando como mentira
deliberada todas as convic+0es de @ennA sobre seu passado$
'm Narradores de Jav& as suspeitas em rela+#o ao resgate do passado s#o evidenciadas
de diversas maneiras$ O prprio tom 7ocoso da narrativa e da representa+#o das
personagens 7- coloca em "e/ue& como ingenuidade& sua pretens#o de trans!ormar o
vilare7o em patrim<nio histrico atravs da escrita das :grandes histrias do povo
7avtico;$ D muito signi!icativa& tambm& a escolha de um escriba sabidamente
mentiroso para reali9ar a tare!a& e todas as atitudes e !alas da personagem contribuem
para dar ,n!ase a sua tend,ncia a acrescentar ao seu trabalho !ortes doses de imagina+#o
!iccional$ =estacam4se& desse ponto de vista& as cenas em /ue (nt<nio Bi- e"plica os
motivos de sua pre!er,ncia pelo l-pis (em detrimento da caneta& /ue corre solta no papel
e n#o permite arrependimentos) e de!ende o embele9amento das histrias contadas pelos
moradores do vilare7o& mesmo /ue isso signi!i/ue uma completa trans!orma+#o dos
!atos supostamente ocorridos$ (inda mais relevante& como demonstra+#o da
impossibilidade de uma recupera+#o !iel do passado& o !ato de /ue as mesmas
histrias& especialmente o episdio da chegada dos primeiros moradores do vilare7o sob
a lideran+a de Endalcio (ou Endal,o)& s#o contadas de modo completamente di!erente
pelos membros da comunidade$ (s diversas vers0es do episdio variam e ganham novas
cores& sempre ao sabor dos dese7os& interesses e perspectivas da/ueles /ue as narram$
=esse modo& nos dois !ilmes& o passado s pode e"istir como uma inven+#o do presente$
(s !or+as e vari-veis /ue inter!erem no modo como o presente molda o passado& no
entanto& se con!iguram de modo diverso em cada um deles$ ( principal di!eren+a&
talve9& se7a o !ato de /ue en/uanto Amnsia !ala de uma memria individual& submetida
8s inter!er,ncias das necessidades psicolgicas& traumas e recalcamentos do
protagonista& Narradores de Jav trata sobretudo de uma memria coletiva& marcada
pelos con!litos entre as di!erentes posi+0es enunciativas e perspectivas interpretativas
dos narradores& dependendo portanto de uma opera+#o de negocia+#o /ue parece nunca
chegar ao !im$
'"atamente por colocarem o problema da memria de modo di!erente& en!ati9ando4se
num deles o plano individual e no outro o aspecto coletivo& os dois !ilmes resolvem de
modo diverso as tens0es entre o passado e o presente& entre o vivido e o imaginado$
Mas& de certa maneira& o /ue um en!ati9a tambm pode estendido ao outro e vice4versa$
Como se a memria individual e a memria coletiva !uncionassem de modo semelhante
e interligado& tornando4se portanto partes de um mesmo problema$ 'ssa& ali-s& uma
idia bastante e"plorada nos estudos contempor2neos sobre a memria& encontrando
!undamento terico nas !ormula+0es cl-ssicas de Maurice FalbGachs& para /uem
mesmo as memrias mais estritamente individuais est#o ancoradas na coletividade e nas
rela+0es de pertencimento entre o indiv1duo e os di!erentes grupos sociais dos /uais ele
participa em sua vida$
'm Narradores de Jav& o /ue se acentua o car-ter con!lituoso& sub7etivo e parcial da
empreitada memorial1stica& representado pelas intermin-veis arengas entre os moradores
do vilare7o em torno da histria de Endalcio$ (o mesmo tempo em /ue embargam o
processo de escrita de (nt<nio Bi-& s#o esses con!litos /ue impulsionam o e"erc1cio da
memria e permitem ao grupo continuar e"istindo$ 3- em Amnsia& a idia de /ue o
presente molda o passado acompanhada por uma constata+#o /ue choca o espectador
no !inal da narrativa$ ( memria dei"a de ser um ac5mulo de lembran+as sobre o
passado& necess-rio para /ue o su7eito viva e se situe no mundo& para se tornar o
contr-rio disso: uma mentira /ue o su7eito conta sobre seu passado& 7ustamente para
esconder de si mesmo a/uilo /ue :realmente; $ Revela4se& ent#o& o prprio
es/uecimento como mecanismo !undamental no !uncionamento da memria e de todo
discurso sobre o passado$
(ssim& uma narrativa acaba por iluminar a outra e ambas podem ser vistas pela
perspectiva da/uilo /ue se en!ati9a na outra$ =e um ponto de vista& digamos& :7avtico;&
podemos perceber /ue tambm a memria individual !unciona de uma !orma dram-tica&
marcada pelo con!lito entre di!erentes posi+0es enunciativas e perspectivas
interpretativas$ 6ois& embora recalcada& a lembran+a do !ato de /ue o protagonista !oi o
respons-vel pela morte de sua esposa parece insistir em vir 8 tona& incidindo de !orma
deslocada em sua obsess#o pelas tcnicas mneum<nicas e na intermin-vel busca /ue d-
sentido a sua e"ist,ncia$ '& de um ponto de vista :amnsico;& a idia de /ue /ual/uer
imagem do passado & pelo menos em parte& uma mentira e um resultado do
es/uecimento& d- outra dimens#o ao seu papel nos 7ogos discursivos /ue d#o !orma 8s
identidades grupais$ ( memria coletiva pode& ent#o& ser vista como resultado de uma
disputa de car-ter eminentemente pol1tico& por meio da /ual os di!erentes grupos sociais
de!inem os seus contornos simblicos e recriam permanentemente os la+os sociais /ue
os unem& articulando rela+0es de poder e mascarando os con!litos /ue inevitavelmente
marcam suas tra7etrias ao longo do tempo$

R'C'RH%CE(S BEB@EOBRICEC(S
BOSE& 'cla$ Memria e sociedade: lembran+as de velhos$ S#o 6aulo: >$ ($ Jueiro9&
KLML$
F(@BN(CFS& Maurice$ A memria coletiva. S#o 6aulo: Vrtice& KLL*$
6O@@(O& Michael$ Memria& es/uecimento& sil,ncio$ Estudos Histricos$ Rio de
3aneiro& v$)& n$.& KLPL& p$.4KQ$
Cilmes:
(M%?SE($ =ire+#o de Christopher %olan& 'U(& )*** (KK. min$)$
%(RR(=OR'S =' 3(V?$ =ire+#o de 'liane Ca!!& Brasil& )**R (K** min$)$

S Marcelino Rodrigues da Silva 2009
Espculo. Revista de estudios literarios$ Universidad Complutense de Madrid
'l UR@ de este documento es
http:TTGGG$ucm$esTin!oTespeculoTnumeroR*Tmemoria$html
https://pendientedemigracion.ucm.es/info/especulo/numero40/memoria.html
>his paper re!lects the research and thoughts o! a student at the time the paper Gas
Gritten !or a course at BrAn MaGr College$ @iUe other materials on Serendip& it is not
intended to be VauthoritativeV but rather to help others !urther develop their oGn
e"plorations$ Web links were active as of the time the paper was posted but are not
updated$
Contribute >houghts W Search Serendip !or Other 6apers W Serendip Fome 6age
BiologA )*)& Spring )**Q
Second Neb 6apers
On Serendip
Memory Loss and Memento
Yinnette Sano
Memento is a contemporary movie which brings to the forefront a moderately popular
Hollywood subject, amnesia, or in this case more specifically, short term memory loss.
The movie is both uite fascinating as well as confusing as it puts one in the shoes of
the main character, !eonard, who suffers from a neurological impairment as a result of
an accident. !eonard is out to get revenge for his wife"s rape and murder, but his
condition ma#es this tas# almost impossible. The viewer is made to loo# at the movie
as the main character sees the world$ through snippets of information gathered by him
on post it notes, tattoos on his body, as well as through %olaroid shots he ta#es of
people and places so as to &remember& who they are. This movie presents !eo as
person who is not able to retain any short memories whatsoever. He is, however, able
to remember his past very vividly and believes that he can survive only on the basis of
instinct and if he conditions himself. 'fter viewing the movie ( decided to do some web
research to see how accurate the film was in terms of describing !eonard"s condition
and if there had in fact been some scientific investigations in this particular area.
Memento actuallA does perpetuate some o! the mAths about amnesia and short term
memorA loss$ >he character repeatedlA states to everAone he meets that he UnoGs Gho
he is because he does not have amnesia& and this is an incorrect usage o! the term& since
the Gord VamnesiaV means loss o! memorA not loss o! identitA (K) $>here are manA tApes
o! amnesia because memorA !ormation and brain !unction are comple"$ Cor e"ample&
memorA can be divided into: Emmediate X recalling in!ormation !or a !eG seconds a!ter
learning itY Short4term X recentlA learned in!ormation that can be recalled minutes or
more a!ter presentationY and& @ong4termXremote memorA o! events occurring long
months or Aears ago$ OneZs identitA hoGever& is among the most durable long4term
memories& there!ore& !orgetting Gho Aou are is rare& especiallA Githout other signi!icant
neurological andTor psAchiatric illness())$ @eonard su!!ers !rom Ghat is UnoGn as
anterograde amnesia$ (nterograde amnesia is a selective memorA de!icit resulting !rom
brain in7urA in Ghich the individual is severelA impaired in learning neG in!ormation$
Memories !or events that occurred be!ore the in7urA maA be largelA spared& but events
that occurred since the in7urA maA be lost (K)$ >his !act is clearlA depicted in the movie
as he !orgets conversations and people he has encountered& sometimes doing something
and then !orgetting mid4GaA GhA he is doing it$ >his disorder can come as a result o!
damage to parts o! the brain such as the hippocampus and the areas Ghich are connected
Gith it in the medial temporal lobes$ >his damage can arise !rom numerous things that
a!!ect thousands o! people$ >hings such as stroUes& brain aneurAsms& epilepsA&
encephalitis& hApo"ia& (l9heimerZs disease& and various other complications maA have
an e!!ect on this area o! the brain and can leave the person Gho has su!!ered anA o! these
Gith (nterograde amnesia$ En the movie @eonard is able to remember the incident that
caused his condition$ En realitA& the person seldom remembers the incident that actuallA
put himTher into that situation$
En terms o! actual research done on people Gith this disorder& there is a Gell UnoGn case
o! a patient UnoGn as FM in the late KLQ*Zs$ >his man su!!ered !rom di!!icult epileptic
sei9ures Ghich originated in the medial temporal lobes o! his brain$ En order to stop
these sei9ures doctors opted to remove the parts o! his medial temporal lobes Ghere the
sei9ures Gere originating$ Enthe process FM lost almost tGo thirds o! his hippocampus
Ghich& as stated above& are critical in the !ormation o! neG memories$ FoGever& one
!orm o! memorA le!t intact in both 6atient FM and @eonard in the movie is the abilitA to
learn sUills$ Called procedural memorA& it is Ghat alloGs us to learn hoG to do things
such as ride a biUe or plaA an instrument$ VBA per!orming sets o! actions (procedures)&
the brain !orms a Uind o! unconscious memorA o! the sUills that Aou Z7ust UnoG hoG to
do ())$ ZV >he areas o! the brain outside the medial4temporal lobes are involved in
procedural memorA& Ghich is GhA an in7urA that results in anterograde amnesia doesnZt
a!!ect procedural memorA (.)$ $ 6rocedural memorA is central to a subplot in
Memento$(s the movie progresses @eonard has !lash bacUs to Ghen he himsel! Gas an
insurance investigator and Gas carrAing out a case on a man claiming amnesia$ @eonard
Ganted to maUe sure the man Gas not V!aUingV his memorA disorder so as to claim
bene!its !rom the insurance companA$ En the movie the man& SammA& undergoes a test
several times in Ghich he receives a small electrical shocU Ghen he picUs up a blocU o!
a certain shape$ En the !ilm& SammA again and again picUs up the electri!ied blocU& so as
to tell us that his mind does not respond to Ghat @eonard calls VconditioningV&
something Ghich he thinUs he has mastered ())$ $ FoGever regardless o! SammA being
unable to recreate short memories o! the past testing he should be able to not picU up the
electri!ied shape based upon some instinct Githin him some !eeling that is generated
!rom Githin that has nothing to do Gith the hippocampus or that part o! the brain$
>he people Gho maUe up our societA in manA GaAs looU to the media as their source o!
accurate UnoGledge$ En this particular case FollAGood Gas able to get it Vless GrongV as
!ar as portraAing the verA real and verA serious condition o! complete short term
memorA loss$ E thinU that movie also did a prettA good 7ob in portraAing a di!!erent
realitA& one that comes along Gith living Githout a short term memorA and hoG
con!using& !rustrating& and 7ust sad it can be$ FoGever& it did !ail to acUnoGledge the
!act that although a part o! our brain maA not be !unctioning VcorrectlAV !or Ghatever
reasonY there are other sAstems Githin us that maA alloG us to maUe the everAdaA
distinctions so as to be able to continue living$ E thinU that manA times Ge tend to !orget
hoG important our instincts and inherent human characteristics are especiallA Ghen the
bodATbrain has to maUe up !or the lacU o! a !unction$ >he past couple o! classes have
dealt Gith perceptions o! realitA and hoG Ghat Ge Vsee is not alGaAs not Ghat Aou getV&
in this case not seeing& or !orgetting& in a sense e/uals a di!!erent perception o! realitA$
Nebsites used:
K) http:TTGGG$intelihealth$comTEFTihtEFTNSEFN***T.Q.)*T.Q.).T.RQ[PL$html\
d]dmtFMSContent
)) http:TTGGG$rashmisinha$comTarchivesT*R^*[Tmemento4memorA$html
.) http:TTGGG$memorAlossonline$comTspring)**)Tmemlossatmovies$htm
R) http:TTGGG$neuroanatomA$Gisc$eduTcoursebooUTneuro[())$pd!
Memento and Personal Identity
E_ve been re!lecting on issues o! 6ersonal EdentitAY last month E Grote a blog post on
this$ On SaturdaA evening E rented Memento ()***) and Gatched !or the second and
third times$ >his remarUable !ilm !eatures adventure& mAsterA& human drama& and
!ascinating movie techni/ue$ Over4riding all o! these is the portraAal o! memorA and the
mind$ (lthough E_ve been studAing memorA !or .* Aears& Memento gave !resh
perspectives$ E! the role o! art is to present !resh insights bA sharing the thoughts o!
others& Momento is true and impressive art$
Synopsis$ On the sur!ace& Memento is a standard detective storA$ @eonard& the central
character& is !ocused on !inding the man Gho& during a home invasion& murdered
@eonard_s Gi!e and crushed @eonard_s sUull& leaving him Gith brain damage$ >he brain
damage le!t @eonard Gith severe anterograde amnesia`$ Fe remembers nothing betGeen
a time shortlA a!ter the attacU and the present$ Fe can operate in :the present;& but& once
events leave the present (Ghen theA e"it :GorUing memorA;)& all trace o! these activities
is lost$
@eonard (le!t) uses tattoos and polaroid photos as memorA aids X mementos$ >eddA
maA or maA not be a !riend& and maA or maA not be trustGorthA$
>he construction o! the movie is brilliant$ >he director& Christopher %olan& presents the
scenes in reverse time4series$ E! one thinUs o! the events o! the movie as a series in time&
the last is presented !irst and the !irst& last$ >his leaves Aou& the vieGer& e"tremelA
con!used$ Nhen Aou vieG a scene& Aou don_t UnoG Ghat led up to it$ >he brilliance is
that Aou are vieGing the scene as @eonard vieGs it& since his brain has no store o! the
preceding events$ aou& the vieGer& !eel the con!usion& !rustration and lacU o! certaintA
that @eonard must !eel everA moment$ >his cinematic tricU is riveting& and helps Aou
understand and empathi9e Gith @eonard$ aou are no longer a detached& all4UnoGing
observer$ aou are @eonard$
EnitiallA Ge are impressed Gith @eonard$ Fe has developed tGo clever strategies that
help him deal Gith the disabilitA: Fe tattoos himsel! Gith b!acts_Y and he annotates
polaroid pictures$ >hese memorA aids X mementos X are recorded be!ore the :!acts;
can leave GorUing memorA$ K**c o! his energA is !ocused on !inding his enemA$ Ne
are hope!ul and convinced that @eonard& Gith his intelligence and drive& can overcome
odds& achieve his goals& and live a !ruit!ul li!e$ But this is not to be$
Memento and the Mind >he UeA diner scene:
Leonard: MemorA_s unreliable$
Leonard: @ooU& memorA can change the shape o! a room& the color o! a carY and
memories can be distorted$ >heA_re 7ust an interpretationY theA_re not a record$ >heA_re
irrelevant i! Aou have the !acts$
Teddy: aou reallA Gant to get this guA& don_t Aou$
Leonard: aeah$ Fe Uilled mA Gi!e& he tooU aGaA mA !$$n memorA$ (pause)
Leonard: Fe destroAed mA abilitA to live$
Teddy: (!eels @eonard_s necU !or pulse) aou_re livin_
Leonard: OnlA !or revenge$
>here are several psAchological !eatures at the core o! the !ilm$ One is the accuracA o!
memorA: does memorA re!lect realitA or is it a storA\ %euroscientists largelA agree that
both perception and memorA& rather than being passive responses to events in the Gorld
are constructions$ Nhat Ge perceive and remember is a mi" o! raG sensorA data and
belie! about Ghat the Gorld is or should be$ >he term confabulation is used Ghen a
perception or memorA is based more on belie! than realitA$ Con!abulation is a common
!eature o! dementia``$ En Memento Ge are !aced Gith the /uestion o! hoG much o!
@eonard_s memorA o! the past is real and hoG much constructed !rom belie!s and
Gishes$
( second& and more important issue is the role o!
memorA in personhood& in individual identitA$ MA initial insight o! the role o! memorA
in personal identitA came !rom reading 3ohn @ocUe& the KMth centurA 'nglish
philosopher$ Cor @ocUe& personal identit depends on the construction o! a conscious
storA4line o! sel!& a :same continued consciousness;$ (ccording to @ocUe& sel! depends
on mind& not substance:
Sel! depends on consciousness& not on substance d personal identitA consists: not in
the identitA o! substance& but& as E have said& in the identitA o! consciousness
and the relation to memorA&
Suppose E GhollA lose the memorA o! some parts o! mA li!e& beAond a possibilitA o!
retrieving them& so that perhaps E shall never be conscious o! them again d (bsolute
oblivion separates Ghat is thus !orgotten !rom the person d
Suppose E GhollA lose the memorA o! some parts o! mA li!e d But i! it be possible !or
the same man to have distinct incommunicable consciousness at di!!erent times& it is
past doubt the same man Gould at di!!erent times maUe di!!erent persons
Basil Smith summari9es this Gell: :@ocUe argued that personal identitA is a matter o!
our conscious memories over time:$ @ocUe_s conception o! identitA Gas& !or me& a
revelation$ But the !ull impact did not hit until E saG Memento$ BA !orcing the vieGer
to imagine li!e Githout memorA& E could !eel the sense o! sel! oo9ing aGaA$ Nithout
memorA& sel! Gould be a mAsterA$ @ocUe proposed a concept o! personal identitA based
on memorAY Memento taUes the us into the mind o! an amnestic mind and reveals the
loss$
En sum& Memento taUes us on a !antastic 7ourneA$ >hrough remarUable cinematographA
and creative storA4telling& Christopher %olan guides us through the mind o! @eonard and
ourselves$
XXXXXXXXXXX4
` >he brain region damaged Gas& almost certainlA& the hippocampus$ >his is indirectlA
alluded to in the movie$ Could have been due directlA to a bloG to the head& or& more
liUelA& lacU o! o"Agen to the brain$ Bilateral damage to the hippocampus
causes anterorade amnesia identical to the de!icit described bA @eonard$
( strange !eature o! the movie is that @eonard repeatedlA mis4states his condition$ Fe
saAs he doesn_t have amnesiaY he saAs that he has a de!icit in short4term memorA$ Fe
has amnesia& and its not a de!icit in :short4term memorA;$ Fere is a mi"ed bag o!
scienti!ic !act and error$ @eonard saAs that an amnestic can respond to conditioning$ >he
e"ample presented is that an amnestic can learn to avoid touching an ob7ect Ghen the
touch leads to shocU$ >his is true$ But he incorrectlA calls this conditioned response an
:instinct;$ (n instinct is unlearned$ >his Gould be a conditioned (learned) response& not
an instinct$
`` E visited mA grand!ather in his apartment in %eG aorU GeeUs be!ore he died$ Fe
said& :3ohn& its so nice o! Aou to go so !ar out o! Aour GaA to visit$; Fe thought Ge Gere
in a beauti!ul hotel in 3apan& not his bedroom$ Nhen mA grandmother and E pointed out
that each piece o! !urniture Gas part o! his bedroom& he said that this Gas such a
splendid hotel that theA replicated his bedroom$ E imagine his brain Gas giving mi"ed
signals: each piece o! !urniture Gas !amiliar& but& due to his dementia& the combination
Gas not !amiliar$ Fe con!abulated a lovelA storA that made sense o! the con!licting
messages$
!ote added: Mo Costandi sent a linU to an e"cellent article he Grote on MemorA and
(mnesia in the Movies$ Boes into detail about Memento and current neuroscienti!ic
vieGs o! memorA$
References:
"ohn locke Essa concerning Human !nderstanding& booU )& chapter
)M http:TTh9tRumovies$GiUispaces$comT!ileTvieGT)4Mementoeande@ocUeeEdentitA$pd!
#asil Smith :Jo"n #oc$e% &ersonal 'dentit and Memento:$ En The Philosophy of
!eo$noir ()**M) MarU Connard& ed$ (E came across this essaA bA Smith a!ter Griting
most o! this blog post$ >he vieGs are remarUablA similar$ >he essaA goes into greater
detail on the relation betGeen %olan and @ocUe_s vieG o! personal identitA$
3ohn Oubie
http://blog.brainfacts.org/)0*+/0,/memento-and-personal-identity/../wah#o0h0iw
1ctober *2, )0*+
The Man Who Forgot Everything
%osted by Steven Shapin

).34

%rint
5ore

*)
En the movie :Broundhog =aA&; the >V Geatherman 6hil Connors !inds himsel! living
the same daA again and again$ >his has its advantages& as he has hundreds o! chances to
get things right$ Fe can learn to speaU Crench& to sculpt ice& to plaA 7a99 piano& and to
become the Uind o! person Gith Ghom his beauti!ul colleague Rita might !all in love$
But it_s a torment& too$ (n aG!ul solitude !loGs !rom the !act that he_s the onlA one in
6un"sutaGneA& 6ennsAlvania& Gho UnoGs that something has gone terriblA Grong Gith
time$ %obodA else seems to have anA memorA o! all the previous iterations o! the daA$
Nhat is a neG daA !or Rita is another o! the same !or 6hil$ >heir realities are di!!erentX
Ghat passes betGeen them in 6hil_s Gorld leaves no trace in hersXas are their senses o!
sel!hood: 6hil UnoGs Rita as she cannot UnoG him& because he UnoGs her daA a!ter daA
a!ter daA& Ghile she UnoGs him onlA todaA$ >ime& realitA& and identitA are each curated
bA memorA& but 6hil_s and Rita_s memories GorU di!!erentlA$ Crom 6hil_s point o! vieG&
she& and everAone else in 6un"sutaGneA& is su!!ering !rom amnesia$
(mnesia comes in distinct varieties$ En :retrograde amnesia&; a movie staple& victims
are unable to retrieve some or all o! their past UnoGledgeXNho am E\ NhA does this
Goman saA that she_s mA Gi!e\Xbut theA can accumulate memories !or everAthing that
theA e"perience a!ter the onset o! the condition$ En the less cinematicallA attractive
:anterograde amnesia&; memorA o! the past is more or less intact& but those Gho su!!er
!rom it can_t laA doGn neG memoriesY everA person encountered everA daA is met !or
the !irst time$ En e"tremelA un!ortunate cases& retrograde and anterograde amnesia can
occur in the same individual& Gho is then said to su!!er !rom :transient global amnesia&;
a condition that is& thanU!ullA& temporarA$ (mnesias varA in their duration& scope& and
originating events: brain in7urA& stroUe& tumors& epilepsA& electroconvulsive therapA& and
psAchological trauma are common causes& Ghile drug and alcohol use& malnutrition& and
chemotherapA maA plaA a part$
>here isn_t a lot that modern medicine can do !or amnesiacs$ E! cerebral bleeding or
clots are involved& these maA be treated& and occupational and cognitive therapA can
help in some cases$ UsuallA& either the condition goes aGaA or amnesiacs learn to live
Gith it as best theA canXunless the notion o! learning is itsel! compromised& along Gith
Ghat it means to have a li!e$ >hen& a !eG select amnesiacs disappear !rom sAstems o!
medical treatment and reappear as star plaAers in neuroscience and cognitive
psAchologA$
6 6 6
%o star ever shone more brightlA in these areas than FenrA Bustave Molaison& a patient
Gho& !or more than hal! a centurA& until his death& in )**P& Gas UnoGn onlA as F$M$&
and Gho is noG the sub7ect o! a booU& :6ermanent 6resent >ense; (Basic)& bA Su9anne
CorUin& the neuroscientist most intimatelA involved in his case$ Born in KL)[ near
Fart!ord& Connecticut& Molaison en7oAed Ghat seems to have been a normal GorUing4
class childhood until& at about the age o! ten& he began su!!ering !rom epilepsA& possiblA
as a result o! a head in7urA sustained in a bicAcle accident$ >he sei9ures greG more
severe and& bA his mid4teens& he Gould !oam at the mouth and bite his tongue& Ghile his
limbs convulsed rhAthmicallA$ (t high school& the teasing Gas cruel& and Molaison
apparentlA responded bA developing a blandlA polite outGard manner and becoming
GithdraGn$ Fe en7oAed listening to Sousa marches and (rthur Bod!reA on the radio&
delighted in collecting guns and going shooting Gith his !ather$ En a period Ghen
eugenic theories still circulated& Molaison_s doctors reportedlA told him that he
shouldn_t have se"& since he Gould liUelA reproduce children Gho Gere similarlA
damaged$
Braduating !rom school& Molaison GorUed !or some Aears at loG4level mechanical 7obs&
but& despite a cocUtail o! ma"imum4dose anti4epileptic drugs& he had little in the GaA o!
an autonomous GorUing or social li!e$ BA the earlA nineteen4!i!ties& an eminent local
neurosurgeon named Nilliam Beecher Scoville Gorried that the medications might be
reaching dangerous levels and began thinUing about a more direct GaA o! controlling the
sei9ures$ Scoville had previouslA per!ormed thirtA partial lobotomies& but the precise
!orm o! the procedure on Molaison_s brain Gas Ghat the surgeon later called :a !ranUlA
e"perimental operation&; meant to locate and e"cise the bits thought to be responsible
!or his sei9ures$ On (ugust )Q& KLQ.& Gith a cheap 7urA4rigged hand drill& Scoville
carved tGo holes in Molaison_s sUull& one 7ust above each o! his eAes$ Molaison Gas
given onlA a local anesthetic& so that he could be aGaUe to report on his sensations Ghen
di!!erent cerebral areas Gere stimulated$ Scoville li!ted up Molaison_s !rontal lobes Gith
a spatula and reached !ar into the center o! his brain$ >hen& using a silver straG& Scoville
sucUed out !ist4si9e chunUs o! the medial temporal lobes on both sides o! Molaison_s
brain$ >he e"cised tissue included most o! the sea4horse4shaped structure called the
hippocampus& as Gell as the parahippocampal gArus& the uncus& the anterior temporal
corte"& and the almond4shaped amAgdala$
>he operation relieved the severitA and the !re/uencA o! Molaison_s sei9ures& but there
Gas a disastrous side e!!ect$ (s Scoville and a colleague noted& Molaison could no
longer :!ind his GaA to the bathroom& and he seemed to recall nothing o! the daA4to4daA
events o! his hospital li!e$; Molaison_s testable intelligence remained normalY his basic
personalitA seemed unchangedY and he could remember /uite a lot o! his past& but he
Gas no longer able to !orm neG memories$ Fe could remember hoG to get to the house
in Ghich his !amilA previouslA lived& but not to the one to Ghich theA moved ten months
be!ore the operation Gas per!ormed$ Fe Gould use the laGn moGer one daA and not
have a clue Ghere it Gas the ne"t$ Fe could read the same maga9ine daA a!ter daA
Githout shoGing anA sign that he had encountered it be!ore$ F$M$ had become a
stunninglA pure case o! anterograde amnesia$
Scoville later called the operation :a tragic mistaUe; and Garned neurosurgeons never to
repeat it& but neuroscience and cognitive psAchologA bene!itted hugelA$ >he operation
could not have been better designed i! the intent had been to create a neG Uind o!
e"perimental ob7ect that shoGed Ghere in the brain memorA lived: there Gas no other
GaA that Molaison_s brain in7uries could have occurred& and no other GaA that the
precision o! his memorA damage could have been brought about$ Molaison gave
scientists a GaA to map cognitive !unctions onto brain structures$ Et became possible to
subdivide memorA into di!!erent tApes and to locate their cerebral fip Codes$
Molaison could no longer ac/uire so4called episodic memories (memorA o! discrete
events in his li!e) or semantic memories (general UnoGledge o! the Gorld& including the
meanings o! neGlA encountered Gords)$ >hese !orms o! memorA& taUen together&
constitute Ghat cognitive psAchologists call declarative memorAXthe abilitA that alloGs
Aou consciouslA to retrieve past happenings and !acts learned in the past$ Several Aears
later& researchers correlated evidence !rom Molaison Gith the results o! other operations
and reached a ma7or neuroscienti!ic conclusion: the capacitA to !orm neG memories
lived in the hippocampus& almost all o! Ghich Scoville had bilaterallA removed$
Molaison Gas emploAed at a sheltered GorU center near Fart!ord$ One o! his tasUs Gas
pacUing balloons into small bags& stopping Ghen the right number had been put in$ But
he could not remember Ghat that number Gas$ E! asUed to !etch a tool& he Gould !orget
Ghich tool Gas needed be!ore reaching the storeY his supervisor began providing him
Gith a picture o! it$ 6ersonal hAgiene is also memorA4dependent& and one o! Molaison_s
caretaUers tooU to leaving notes around the place to remind him to raise the toilet seat$
Molaison could not remember Ghen he had eaten& and the cues arising !rom his stomach
Gere rarelA su!!icient to signal that he Gas either hungrA or replete$ Fe_d tell the same
storA to the same person over and over& unaGare that he_d told it be!ore$ Molaison could
not securelA retain memories o! the deaths o! loved ones& so each con!rontation Gith the
!act o! a long4ago passing Gas as raG as the !irst$ Unable to Ueep in mind Ghat had
happened to his parents& he put notes in his Gallet telling him that his !ather Gas dead
and that his mother Gas in a nursing home$ But& Githout the notes& he !ound it hard to
remember Ghere his parents Gere or i! theA Gere dead or alive$
Nhen Aou asUed Molaison a /uestion& he could retain it long enough to ansGerY Ghen
he Gas eating Crench toast& he could remember previous mouth!uls and could see the
evidence that he had started eating it$ Fis unimpaired abilitA to do these sort o! things
illustrated a distinction& made bA Nilliam 3ames& betGeen :primarA; and :secondarA;
memorA$ 6rimarA memorA& noG generallA UnoGn as GorUing memorA& evidentlA did not
depend upon the structures that Scoville had removed$ >he domain o! GorUing memorA
is a hAbrid o! the instantaneous present and o! Ghat 3ames re!erred to as the :7ust past$;
>he e"perienced present has durationY it is not a point but a plateau$ Cor those !eG
seconds o! the preciselA noG and the 7ust past& the present is unarchived& accessible
Githout conscious search$ BeAond that& Ge have to call up the !ragments o! past
presents$ >he plateau o! Molaison_s GorUing memorA Gas betGeen thirtA and si"tA
seconds longXnot verA di!!erent !rom that o! most peopleXand this Gas Ghat alloGed
him to eat a meal& read the neGspaper& solve endless crossGord pu99les& and carrA on a
conversation$ But nothing that happened on the plateau o! GorUing memorA stucU& and
his past presents laid doGn no sediments that could be dredged up bA anA !uture
presents$
>here Gas a sense in Ghich Molaison Gas able to learn& though it_s probablA Grong to
saA that he learned t"ings$ En a GaA that_s not ade/uatelA understood& but Ghich maA
have to do Gith the !act that some semantic learning is sustained bA structures that
Scoville le!t intact& he seemed occasionallA to ac/uire odd pieces o! neG !actual
UnoGledgeX!or e"ample& that there Gere things called contact lenses and that there Gas
a !amous person named aoUo Ono& though he Gas not too clear Ghat Uind o! person that
Gas (:an important man in 3apan;)$ (s he aged& he learned to use a GalUerY as time Gent
on& he graduallA learned hoG to move around neG environments and even to ac/uire
Ghat seems to have been a mental map o! neG places that had& in some GaA& become
!amiliar$ Fe might not have been able to supplA an ansGer to a /uestion about 7ust
Ghere he Gas& but he acted& so to speaU& as i! he UneG& and could taUe account o!& its
corners and sharp edges$
En KLRQ& the philosopher Bilbert RAle distinguished betGeen :UnoGing hoG;
(procedural UnoGledge o! the sort that_s involved in riding a biUe) and :UnoGing that;
(!or e"ample& the abilitA to ac/uire& archive& and retrieve !acts about hoG a biUe GorUs)$
En one striUing e"periment& Molaison Gas asUed repeatedlA to trace a star in an
apparatus that insured that he could see the !igure and his hand onlA in a mirror$ 'ach
time he tooU the test& he thought that he had never done it be!ore& and Aet his accuracA
marUedlA improved through iterations$ :Nell& this is strange&; he said$ :E thought that
that Gould be di!!icult$ But it seems as though E_ve done it /uite Gell$; En the language
o! modern psAchologA& his improvement in the star4tracing e"periment belonged to
:non4declarative; memorA: Molaison retained an abilitA to learn motor sUills& so
scientists concluded that these capacities resided not in the hippocampus and nearbA
structures but elseGhere in the brain$ Molaison_s inadvertent gi!t to science Gas helping
researchers understand that memorA is not a single process& and that its various
capacities do not reside in a single cerebral structure$
%euroscientists describe Molaison as :arguablA the single most important patient ever
studied in neuropsAchologA;Y his Gas :the brain that changed everAthing&; :the most
!amous brain in the Gorld$; Ma7or careers in neuroscience Gere built on Molaison_s
condition and on access to him as an e"perimental sub7ect& and no career Gas more
substantiallA de!ined bA Molaison than that o! Su9anne CorUin$
6 6 6
CorUin Grites that FenrA Molaison Gas :part o! mA li!e !or decades$; CortA4si" Aears& to
be e"act$ En KL[K& as a graduate student at McBill UniversitA& she 7oined the laboratorA
o! a colleague o! Scoville_s& and met Molaison the !olloGing Aear$ (!ter moving to
M$E$>$ a !eG Aears later and setting up her oGn neuroscience lab& CorUin began a
scienti!ic and legal association Gith Molaison that_s uni/ue in the historA o! science$
>he Clinical Research Center at M$E$>$ became& CorUin Grites& Molaison_s :home aGaA
!rom home&; and the scientists interested in investigating his brain and his behavior
became his :!amilA$; BetGeen KL[[ and )***& Molaison visited CorUin_s lab !i!tA4!ive
times !or testing and observation& sometimes staAing at M$E$>$ !or GeeUs at a time$
>hese visits became& another Griter noted& :the onlA salient !eature o! his li!e$;
Molaison Gound up becoming CorUin_s legal responsibilitA$ Nhen he Gas admitted to a
long4term4care !acilitA& Molaison_s hospital chart listed CorUin as :the onlA interested
relative& !riend& or contact$;
BA the late seventies& CorUin legallA controlled access to the patient$ >here Gas no end
o! investigators dAing !or a chance to meet Molaison& but CorUin re/uired anA scientist
Gishing to studA Molaison :to visit mA lab !irst and present the proposed research
protocol at our GeeUlA lab meeting$; En the course o! !i!tA Aears& about a hundred
scientists got to e"periment on MolaisonY manA others Gere turned aGaA$ Nith great
di!!icultA& the science 7ournalist 6hilip Filts persuaded CorUin to grant him access& and
his moving booU :MemorA_s Bhost; (KLLQ) Gas the !irst account o! Molaison that Gas
Gritten !or a general audience$ >he sta!! at Molaison_s care !acilitA Gas directed to Ueep
/uiet about him& neither con!irming nor denAing the presence o! anA such person$
>oGard the end o! his li!e& Molaison_s problems had come to include dementia& and
CorUin made arrangements !or a postmortem brain donation& Ghich she regards as :a
beauti!ul !inale to his enduring contributions; to science$ CorUin dra!ted a set o! rules
governing the handling o! Molaison_s death$ >heA Gere attached to his medical chart&
and stipulated that she must be contacted immediatelA as death approached$
:6ermanent 6resent >ense; is about Molaison_s mind as a resource !or understanding
hoG human minds normallA GorU and hoG memorA is normallA processed and stored$
:StudAing hoG FenrA !orgot gave us a better understanding o! hoG Ge remember&;
CorUin Grites$ She isn_t at ease Gith e"istential /uestions& but there_s a chapter called
:FenrA_s 'motional @i!e&; Ghich o!!ers her vieG that he did indeed have one$ Fe could
not tracU his oGn aging in the GaA that is& sadlA& normal !or the rest o! us$ ( psAchiatrist
Gho Gas asUed to e"amine Molaison reported that :he did not thinU o! death$; Molaison
could recogni9e his aging !ace in the mirror& but he could not associate that changing
image Gith a historA o! his oGn bodA and mind$ Once& he Gas looUing in the mirror
Ghen a nurse asUed him& :Nhat do Aou thinU about hoG Aou looU\; Fe replied& :E_m
not a boA$; Nhen Molaison Gas more than !i!tA Aears old& CorUin in/uired hoG old he
thought he Gas& and he responded& :(round thirtA$; She then got out a mirror and asUed
him againY this time the ansGer Gas :MaAbe !ortA$; Molaison_s aging bodA necessarilA
re!lected the passage o! time& Ghile the mirror image that he saG& plaAing the role o! the
painting o! =orian BraA& did not$
(lmost everAone Gas a stranger to Molaison& and all social interactions Gere brie!
encountersXin the moment& Githout a past and never to have a !uture$ Et_s a
circumstance that one can imagine as a source o! constant terrorXNho is the stranger in
mA room\ Nhere am E\Xbut Molaison coped Gith it bA adopting a genial manner&
alGaAs eager to please& :as i! everAone Gere an old !riend$; (ll the scientists Gho met
Molaison reported on his a!!able& even 7oUeA& manner$ Fis emotional li!e& apart !rom
rare outbursts o! rage& Gas placid$ Fis boss at the sheltered GorUshop described him as
:a per!ect gentleman; Gho never even :looUs at the girls$; (sUed about se"ualitA&
Molaison_s !ormulaic response Gas that the doctors had told him that he shouldn_t have
se"ual relations$ >he psAchiatrist brought in bA CorUin decided to press the matter$ Fe
asUed Molaison i! he UneG Ghat an erection Gas& and& Ghen the ansGer that came bacU
Gas :( building&; tried another tacU$ Nhat is a :hard4on;\ :Nithout smiling& !roGning&
or anA change in !acial muscular&; Molaison shoGed that he UneG per!ectlA Gell Ghat
Gas being asUed: :( man gets it& beloG the belt$;
Molaison recAcled his 7oUes& Ghich Gas probablA 7ust as Gell !or his caretaUers& since& i!
Aou paused to thinU about them& the e!!ect Gould be chilling$ Re!erring to Molaison_s
preoccupation Gith crossGord pu99les& CorUin once said to him& :aou_re the pu99le
Uing o! the Gorld$; :E_m pu99ling; Gas the response$ >alUing to a scientist at the M$E$>$
lab& Molaison cracUed a one4liner about his testing regimen: :Et_s a !unnA thingXAou
7ust live and learn$ E_m living& and Aou_re learning$;
aet& despite his sur!ace a!!abilitA& li!e Gasn_t easA !or him$ Over time& he came to
understand that other people laid doGn memories and that he did not$ Fe also grasped
the !act that others_ abilitA to retrieve !rom memorA :the right GaA; to behave in
countless ordinarA situations Gasn_t available to him$ Nhat Gas automatic !or normal
people Gas necessarilA a matter o! deliberation !or MolaisonXhence one o! his most
common e"pressions: :E_m having a little argument Gith mAsel!$; Fe (orried: :Right
noG& E_m Gondering$ Fave E done or said anAthing amiss\ aou see& at this moment
everAthing looUs clear to me& but Ghat happened 7ust be!ore\ >hat_s Ghat Gorries me$;
(lthough Molaison could !orm no neG memories& !eG lives have been more archived
and memoriali9ed$ >here have alreadA been several theatre pieces about him& and
Columbia 6ictures is planning a movie !rom CorUin_s point o! vieG$ ()ariet reported
that& Ghen the producer Scott Rudin Gas asUed GhA he Gasn_t telling the storA through
Molaison_s eAes& he ansGered& :Nhoooah& that_d be sooo trippAg;) En a GaA& Molaison
had plentA o! memoriesY it_s 7ust that he couldn_t access them and& there!ore& didn_t oGn
them$ (s Molaison_s relatives died o!!& CorUin became& she saAs& :FenrA_s sole Ueeper&;
noG :in the position o! UnoGing more about FenrA than anA living person&; and& o!
course& vastlA more than he UneG about himsel!$ Over the Aears& CorUin had archived
Molaison_s medical historA& his psAchological4test results& and the traces produced bA
scans o! his living brain$ She noG received bo"es o! Molaison !amilA mementos as gi!ts
!rom relatives$ >he mementos and the stories collected !rom !amilA members alloGed
CorUin to reconstruct those pieces o! Molaison_s preoperative historA Ghich he could no
longer retrieveY the e"periments and observations amassed over nearlA !i!tA Aears o!
science constituted an e"ternali9ed memorA o! the conscious li!e he did not UnoG he had
lived$
6 6 6
En 6lato_s 6haedrus& Socrates tells a storA about the 'gAptian invention o! Griting$ >he
god >heuth came to >hamus& the Uing o! Upper 'gApt& Gith a brilliant neG technologA
!or maUing marUs as records o! thoughts$ >hamus Gorried that people :Gill trust to the
e"ternal Gritten characters and not remember o! themselves;:
The specific which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminiscence,
and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth$ they will be
hearers of many things and will have learned nothing$ they will appear to be omniscient
and will generally #now nothing.
>hamus Gas right$ En everAdaA li!e& Ge don_t much care Ghether Ghat Ge remember is
contained betGeen our ears or resides on a piece o! paper$ Ne relA on our partners&
colleagues& and !riends to remind us o! obligationsY Ge sticU 6ost4its on computers and
!ridge doors to cue us to buA milU or have the car servicedY our cell phones ping to
announce coming appointments and remember all our phone numbers !or us$
EncreasinglA& our memories are distributed across a landscape populated bA things and
other people& and& in that respect& it_s possible to see Molaison as standing merelA at a
pathological e"treme o! memorA_s normalcA: a!ter the operation& all o! Molaison_s
declarative memorA lived outside his oGn bodA& Ghile onlA some o! ours does$
En the classical Gorld& the celebrated ancient :art o! memorA; involved using the
divided spaces o! Gell4UnoGn buildings as receptacles !or the ordered topics o! a public
speech& and similar tactics Gere GidelA used Gell into the 'nlightenment$ 'ven a
generation ago& manA schools still relied on a large amount o! rote memori9ationX
poems& chronologies o! Uings and /ueens& @atin declensions$ >hose memorA practices
aren_t dead& but& Gith the names and dates o! the 6lantagenet Uings noG 7ust a clicU
aGaA& there is less and less need !or them$ Enstead& development o! memorA sUills is
becoming an e"otic niche pursuit& as 3oshua Coer e"plored in :MoonGalUing Gith
'instein&; his booU about training !or the U$S$($ MemorA Championships$
>he accelerating changes in technologies o! memorA& spectacular though theA are& are a
matter o! degree rather than o! Uind$ >hrough the earlA modern period and beAond&
people 7otted doGn nice turns o! phrase in commonplace booUs& and inserted slips or
marginal comments in printed booUs& as a GaA o! coping Gith a Gorld o! in!ormation
that& as the historian (nn Blair has shoGn& alreadA contained :too much to UnoG$;
Molaison and his caretaUers also used little pieces o! paper as memorA prostheses& and
in the )*** noir !ilm :Memento&; Ghich Gas inspired bA Molaison_s condition& the
detective su!!ering !rom anterograde amnesia seeUs to e"ternali9e his memorA through
scribbled notes& tattoos& and 6olaroid photographs$
>he Juanti!ied Sel! movement encourages everAone to !olloG Silicon ValleA utopians
in !orming a personal digital register o! everA item o! !ood consumed and everA
measurable bodilA state$ ( camera Gorn on the necU o! a :li!elogger; records
everAthing seen& and a digital recorder captures everAthing heard$ Et_s all thereXnothing
!iltered& nothing lost& nothing distorted bA the messiness o! internal memorA$ Nearable
computers liUe Boogle Blass hold out the promise o! still more poGer!ul modes o! sel!4
archiving$ Ne shall be as gods& and about ourselves Ge shall UnoG all things$
>echnologA Gill banish !orgetting& and the stores o! unde!ormed memorA Gill live
!orever in the cloud& retrievable at Gill$ >he name !or our remaining problems Gill be
:search;: all Ge_ll have to do is remember Ghat Ge_re looUing !or& master a !eG tricUs
!or !inding it& and& !inallA& o!!load the initiation o! search onto e"ternal prompts that Gill
remind us to remember$
6 6 6
(s Molaison laA dAing& in =ecember& )**P& Su9anne CorUin sGung into action: his
brain had to be chilled and scanned Ghile still in his bodA& /uicUlA e"tracted !rom the
sUull& and then !loGn to San =iego& Ghere it Gould be care!ullA dissected and preserved$
Molaison :had groGn to mean something to me&; but there Gas still vitallA important
scienti!ic GorU to be done$ She Grites& :MA interest in FenrA had alGaAs been primarilA
intellectualY hoG else Gould E e"plain GhA E had stood on a chair in the basement o!
Mass$ Beneral& ecstatic to see his brain removed e"pertlA !rom his sUull\ MA role as a
scientist had alGaAs been per!ectlA clear to me$; >his Gas no time !or sentiment or
re!lection$
Nith Molaison_s brain nestled in a cooler& a !ilm creG !olloGed CorUin and a San =iego
neuroscientist !rom the hospital to @ogan (irport$ She Grites that :GalUing through the
airport& Ge !elt liUe celebrities$; >heA enacted :a !ormal e"change !or the camera&; and
the brain Gas carried onto the plane$ :E !elt sad to see FenrA_s brain go&; CorUin Grites$
:Et Gas mA last goodbAe to him$; Et Gas noG the brain_s turn to become a celebritA$
'mbedded in !ro9en gelatine& it Gas care!ullA sliced into tGentA4!our hundred and one
seventA4micron4thin slices& each one& as it Gas cut& rolling up :liUe a slice o! pale
prosciutto$; >he Ghole process Gas streamed live as a Nebcast& Ghere it had several
million real4time hits& and the !ootage can noG be Gatched on the Neb site o! the Brain
ObservatorA at the UniversitA o! Cali!ornia& San =iego$ 'ach slice is noG encased in
glass& and a digiti9ed image o! it occupies a terabAte o! data$ Et has been promised that
the images Gill be put together as a :Boogle 'arth4liUe search engine; !or the brain$ E! it
isn_t alreadA& Molaison_s noG disembodied organ Gill soon become the best4UnoGn
brain there has ever been& an enduring memorial to the man Gho !orgot everAthing$
Steven S"apin teac"es t"e "istor o* science at Harvard.
&"otograp" courtes o* Su+anne ,or$in.
http://www.newyor#er.com/online/blogs/boo#s/)0*+/*0/henry-gustav-molaison-the-
man-who-forgot-everything.html
How the man who
inspired 'Memento'
changed our
understanding
of memory
BA (mar >oor on October KL& )*K. KK:Q* am 'mail hamartoo ))%omments
=onZt miss stories -ollo( ."e )erge
2
in7hare
FenrA Bustave Molaison Gas a man Gho couldnZt maUe memories$ Better UnoGn to
neuroscientists as VFMV& the late Molaison su!!ered !rom sei9ures as a Aoung man and
struggled to lead a normal li!e& but things tooU a dramatic shi!t a!ter he received a
lobotomA in (ugust KLQ.$ =octors removed large chunUs o! FMZs temporal lobes and
most o! his hippocampus& on the assumption that these regions Gere responsible !or the
patientZs neurological problems$ >he operation did cure FMZs sei9ures& but it le!t him in
a uni/ue case o! anterograde amnesiaY he could remember his childhood and his
personalitA remained unchanged& but he could not !orm neG memories$
(s Steven Shapin Grites in a piece !or the Ne( /or$er this GeeU& the operation le!t FM
in a constant state o! discoverA and con!usion& but it also gave scientists remarUable neG
insight into hoG the brain processes and stores memorA$
V>he operation could not have been better designed i! the intent had been to create a
neG Uind o! e"perimental ob7ect that shoGed Ghere in the brain memorA lived&V Shapin
Grites$ VMolaison gave scientists a GaA to map cognitive !unctions onto brain
structures$ Et became possible to subdivide memorA into di!!erent tApes and to locate
their cerebral fip Codes$
http://www.theverge.com/)0*+/*0/*8/4,22+90/how-the-man-who-inspired-memento-
changed-our-understanding-of-memory
Memento
&ntroduction
Memento& directed bA Christopher %olan& is based on a short storA bA his brother&
3onathan %olan& called :Memento Mori;$ >he !ilm Gas released in )*** and is
described bA %olan as :a psAchological thriller about a guA Gho can_t maUe neG
memories and Gho is looUing !or revenge;$ Et belongs to the neo4noir !ilm genre& Gith
some o! the characteristic !eatures o! bleaUness& alienation& paranoia& the presence o! a
!emme !atale and the lacU o! a happA ending$
En an intervieG about the !ilm& %olan e"plained that he Gas verA interested in the
process o! memorA and in the GaA it can be distorted$ Fe also stated that& in maUing
Memento a !ilm about an unreliable amnesic narrator& he had :attempted to put the
audience into the head o! the protagonist and maUe them e"perience some o! his
con!usion& uncertaintA and paranoia;$ Et is preciselA !or this reason that E believe
Memento has much to o!!er the mental health practitioner& especiallA anAone GorUing
Gith individuals su!!ering !rom memorA impairment$
:ecause memory is so deeply entwined with our sense of identity and is one of the
means by which we understand our world, this film e;plores how it might feel to be
unable to trust what we #now about ourselves, and others that we meet. :ecause it
uses a comple; and unorthodo; form of story telling, 5emento challenges us, reuiring
a greater than usual degree of concentration and use of our own memory, in pursuit of
the truth. (ndeed, the film invites multiple viewings as we strive for greater
understanding, again giving us the e;perience of a person trying to wor# out the world
they are perceiving, when handicapped by an impairment of memory.
The 'ilm
On this occasion& E do not intend to give a detailed description o! the plot but rather to
outline the comple" structure o! the storAtelling as a guide to orientate vieGers to the
comple" GaA the !ilm plaAs Gith memorA and time$ (nAone Ganting an :unspoiled;
vieGing o! the !ilm should stop reading noG and return to the blog a!ter Gatching it$
Memento is essentiallA a !ilm o! tGo parts& one !ilmed in colour and the other in blacU
and Ghite& intertGined together in alternating se/uences that set out to e"plain the
events leading up to the opening scene$ >he !ilm_s opening se/uence& in colour& taUes
place /uite literallA in reverse and is the onlA scene to do this$ En it& Ge Gitness the
revenge Uilling o! >eddA& a policeman& bA @eonard& the protagonist Gho su!!ers !rom
anterograde amnesia$ >he se/uences !ilmed in colour& tell the storA bacUGards in short
segments that plaA !orGards& Ghereas the blacU and Ghite se/uences tell a storAline that
un!olds in the conventional (that is moving !orGard in time) GaA$ Ne discover that the
blacU and Ghite scenes preceded the colour se/uences in chronological time$ O!ten in
the colour scenes Ge are thrust into the action Gith @eonard& sharing his lacU o!
understanding about Ghat he is doing in anA particular place$ Ne verA soon learn that
the strategA he uses to Ueep tracU o! events& people and ob7ects& and to attempt to maUe
sense o! his Gorld& is to taUe polaroid photos Ghich he then annotates$ Cor the reallA
important things that he Gants to remember& he has them tattooed on various parts o! his
bodA$ >he !inal blacU and Ghite scene seamlesslA merges Gith the last colour se/uence&
bringing the Ghole !ilm to an end as a complete piece o! storAtelling& but perhaps !ailing
to provide all o! the ansGers that the vieGer maA be seeUing a!ter the !irst vieGing$
UltimatelA& Memento is liUe a pu99le Ghose pieces can onlA be reassembled Gith the
help o! an intact memorA$ En contrast to @eonard& Ge can use our memorA o! previous
scenes to in!orm our understanding o! the conse/uences o! his actions in the scene that
Ge are currentlA Gatching$
Relevance to the field of Mental (ealth
Memento speci!icallA e"plores the condition o! anterograde amnesia and re!lects the
di!!icultA that su!!erers have in appreciating the passage o! time as theA struggle to e"ist
Gith verA limited recent memorA$ Cor anAone Ganting to gain a better understanding o!
Ghat it might !eel liUe to su!!er !rom such a disabilitA& this !ilm captures some o! the
aspects o! con!usion and perple"itA verA Gell$ BA maUing the vieGer unsure o! Ghat to
trust in Ghat theA see through @eonard_s eAes& Memento can help the vieGer to
appreciate GhA such an individual maA e"perience paranoia$ >he !ilm can also o!!er a
starting point !or a discussion about the di!!erent strategies that maA be emploAed to
prompt the su!!erer into recalling recent e"periences (autobiographical memories)$
>here are manA di!!erent rehabilitation techni/ues used to help individuals Gith
anterograde amnesia$ Some involve the use o! compensatorA techni/ues liUe mobile
phone alerts or Gritten notes and diaries& others consist o! intensive training
programmes involving the active participation o! the person Gith their !amilA members$
NorU bA clinical neuroscientists in Cambridge& UO& comparing Gritten versus visual
aids !or memorA retrieval in memorA impaired individuals& has begun to suggest that the
recording o! a pictorial& person4centred vieG o! events& using a Gearable camera& Ghose
images are re4vieGed later on a computer screen& maA be an e!!ective GaA to improve
autobiographical recollection and one that is superior to a Gritten diarA (BerrA '& Oapur
%& Nilliams @ et alY %europsAchological Rehabilitation$ )**MY KM(R4Q):QP)4[*KY >he
use o! a Gearable camera& SenseCam& as a pictorial diarA to improve autobiographical
memorA in a patient Gith limbic encephalitis: a preliminarA report) Cor anAone Ganting
to compare the !ictional character o! @eonard Gith a real person su!!ering !rom the same
condition& the Gell4UnoGn case o! the 'nglish musicologist& Clive Nearing& Gho has a
severe !orm o! anterograde amnesia& o!!ers !urther insights into the disabilitA$ Fe is
unable to remember more than K*4.* seconds at a time and has no detailed memories o!
his li!e be!ore herpes simple" encephalitis damaged the hippocampi in his brain (one o!
the areas o! the brain involved in laAing doGn memories) more than )* Aears ago$ Fe is
onlA able to recognise his Gi!e& Gho he married the Aear be!ore his illness$ Nhat is
especiallA interesting is that he retains his previous abilitA to plaA the piano& because
this involves procedural memorA (involving other brain areas such as the basal ganglia
and cerebellum)$ Fe !eatured in a BBC documentarA about hoG humans e"perience
time& Ghich can be vieGed via the Nellcome Collection Gebsite$ (nother !amous
amnesic patient& an (merican man named FenrA Molaison& died in )**P at the age o!
P)$ (n e"cellent account o! his li!e Gith anterograde amnesia& caused as a result o!
neurosurgerA !or epilepsA& is available in >he >elegraph obituarA published in CebruarA
)*KK$ Fe Gas studied e"tensivelA !or manA Aears& and Gas particularlA interesting
because he retained his intellectual abilities and personalitA but Gas unable to live
independentlA or to hold doGn a 7ob$ @eonard& in the !ilm& illustrates 7ust hoG
vulnerable and open to e"ploitation someone is Githout a !unctioning short4term
memorA& Ghich can help us to understand GhA someone Gith this condition might
re/uire supervised care& o! some sort& throughout his or her li!etime$ Memento is a !ilm
that re/uires us to use our memorA to the !ull& at the same time as giving us the
e"perience o! being in the Gorld Githout it$ E Gould de!initelA recommend this !ilm to
anAone interested in memorA and its disorders$ Curther in!ormation about Memento can
be !ound at EM=B& as can a short trailer$ >he =V= is available to purchase at
ama9on$co$uU$ Minds on Cilm blog is Gritten bA =r 3 (lmeida$
Subscribe to this postZs comments using RSS
%omments
<e: 5emento
)2/0)/)0** 0,:+9:4+ by 'run 4umar
....'nd for the :ollywood lovers - there is a simplified version available with the all the
other usual ingredients - humor, love and nice songs. =hajini >)00,? is clearly inspired
by 5omento, and the protagonist suffers a similar predicament. 1verall - a good movie
too@
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt**33*00/
<e: 5emento
)9/0)/)0** )):)3:*) by 'utobiographical 5emory
( had always wondered if 5emento >and even (nception? could somehow wor# with
health science in understanding the mind and memory. Aear doctoral students: that
would be a really great thesis idea@
best,
Bhi
<e: 5emento
02/0+/)0** 0):+*:4, by Ar bibhusan
(am always fascinated about how memory wor#s, 5emento is an e;cellent e;ample of
anterograde memory loss and they way memory effects our thin#ing, perception and
emotion.
http://www.priorygroup.com/professionals/results/dr-joyce-almeida
http://www.journaltocs.ac.u#/inde;.phpC
actionDsearchEsub'ctionDhitsEjournal(AD)0)92EuserFuery(AD)9333EhighD*EpsD+0
EpageD29+EitemsD0EjournalGfilterD0EjournalbyD0
http://bdu.siu.edu.ar/cgi-bin/uery.plCe;pressionDeternidad
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/hemeroteca/)009/02/*3/n/escorpion.html