Amnesia or memory loss is one of the most used plot devices in TV and in films. This trope became do widely popular and well-used, that directors have to put on some variations and intriguing twist to justify and give a whole new approach in capturing the essence of this close to passé cinematic allegory.
That’s why it is up to the actors on how to flawlessly pull off a remarkable and convincing portrayal of an amnesiac. So good, that it stays afloat in our… well, memory. They did it so well, that we desperately want to jump into the screen and offer them those memory-enhancing supplements and ginseng roots with high hopes of recovery just to have that oh, so happy ending. Not to mention, it is a bit of a paradox to say that these movie memory-impaired heroes and heroines made quite an impact, enough to be unforgettable.
So, before these characters go down to Hollywood oblivion, here are the 5 “unforgettable” movie characters suffering from memory loss.
Lucy Whitmore (50 First Dates)
To quote the great Friedrich Nietzsche, “The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time”. And this is exactly what Lucy Whitmore experienced. In the movie, Lucy got into a car accident and suffered from a temporal lobe damage that caused her short term memory loss and inability to create new memories. This pretty much explains the numerous “first kisses” she had experienced with Henry Roth. Kinda cute, if you’d think about it. On the other hand, it is the complete literal meaning of U2’s hit song, Stuck in a Moment, and You Can’t Get out of It.
Dory (Finding Nemo)
Talk about a fish that has a memory of a goldfish. Dory has a short term memory loss that somehow gives color to the Regal Tang fish. The “amnesia” element was well-utilized in the film in a sense that it provides a convenient yet effective obstacle throughout the film. We empathized with her shortcomings during her adventures with Marlin as they embark on a mission to find Nemo, more specifically from those scenes wherein frustration arises due to her inability to remember a darn thing.
Hancock (Hancock)
Forget Wolverine’s derailed memory due to a bullet wound. Hancock’s backstory is way more compelling. The badass superhuman loss his past memory when a brawling incident happened just before he and his companion enter the movie house to watch Frankenstein… 80 years prior to the movie’s timeline. The memory loss narrative served the film well in giving way to a more revealing life antecedent that eventually helped the anti-hero answer his questions about his past.
Joel Barish and Clementine Kruczynski (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Emotionally dragged Joel Barish has been separated with her girlfriend, Clementine for a couple of years when the two got into a nasty fight that provoked the latter in deciding to erase her memory. Joel later decides to undergo the same procedure as well in order for him to move on with his already miserable life, only to see him fight off the process in his subconscious in an effort to bypass the procedure and keep some of his memories of Clementine.
Leonard Shelby (Memento)
50 First Dates’ use of VCR to maintain the continuity of Lucy Whitmore’s life beyond her retained memories is one thing. But for auteur, Christopher Nolan, tapes ain’t gonna cut it. That’s why in Memento, the protagonist, Leonard Shelby – suffering from anterograde amnesia – tries to solve the mystery of his wife’s gruesome death. In order for him to keep track of the details of his life as he splices the clues pointing to his wife’s killer, he devised an elaborate journal in the form Polaroids, sticky notes and tattoos. What a way to infuse complex element to a simple plot device.
Did I forget something? Please feel free to refresh my memory by leaving a comment!
That’s why it is up to the actors on how to flawlessly pull off a remarkable and convincing portrayal of an amnesiac. So good, that it stays afloat in our… well, memory. They did it so well, that we desperately want to jump into the screen and offer them those memory-enhancing supplements and ginseng roots with high hopes of recovery just to have that oh, so happy ending. Not to mention, it is a bit of a paradox to say that these movie memory-impaired heroes and heroines made quite an impact, enough to be unforgettable.
So, before these characters go down to Hollywood oblivion, here are the 5 “unforgettable” movie characters suffering from memory loss.
Lucy Whitmore (50 First Dates)
To quote the great Friedrich Nietzsche, “The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time”. And this is exactly what Lucy Whitmore experienced. In the movie, Lucy got into a car accident and suffered from a temporal lobe damage that caused her short term memory loss and inability to create new memories. This pretty much explains the numerous “first kisses” she had experienced with Henry Roth. Kinda cute, if you’d think about it. On the other hand, it is the complete literal meaning of U2’s hit song, Stuck in a Moment, and You Can’t Get out of It.
Dory (Finding Nemo)
Talk about a fish that has a memory of a goldfish. Dory has a short term memory loss that somehow gives color to the Regal Tang fish. The “amnesia” element was well-utilized in the film in a sense that it provides a convenient yet effective obstacle throughout the film. We empathized with her shortcomings during her adventures with Marlin as they embark on a mission to find Nemo, more specifically from those scenes wherein frustration arises due to her inability to remember a darn thing.
Hancock (Hancock)
Forget Wolverine’s derailed memory due to a bullet wound. Hancock’s backstory is way more compelling. The badass superhuman loss his past memory when a brawling incident happened just before he and his companion enter the movie house to watch Frankenstein… 80 years prior to the movie’s timeline. The memory loss narrative served the film well in giving way to a more revealing life antecedent that eventually helped the anti-hero answer his questions about his past.
Joel Barish and Clementine Kruczynski (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Emotionally dragged Joel Barish has been separated with her girlfriend, Clementine for a couple of years when the two got into a nasty fight that provoked the latter in deciding to erase her memory. Joel later decides to undergo the same procedure as well in order for him to move on with his already miserable life, only to see him fight off the process in his subconscious in an effort to bypass the procedure and keep some of his memories of Clementine.
Leonard Shelby (Memento)
50 First Dates’ use of VCR to maintain the continuity of Lucy Whitmore’s life beyond her retained memories is one thing. But for auteur, Christopher Nolan, tapes ain’t gonna cut it. That’s why in Memento, the protagonist, Leonard Shelby – suffering from anterograde amnesia – tries to solve the mystery of his wife’s gruesome death. In order for him to keep track of the details of his life as he splices the clues pointing to his wife’s killer, he devised an elaborate journal in the form Polaroids, sticky notes and tattoos. What a way to infuse complex element to a simple plot device.
Did I forget something? Please feel free to refresh my memory by leaving a comment!
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