Memento: Narrative image

The construction of the narrative image on the DVD cover through:


Camera
CU of a man, but the tip of his head is cut off, he is looking off the frame to the left
The cut-off distorts the photo slightly and makes it look a little wrong, the fact that he is looking off to the left shows he is looking at/for something - almost searching. We can see his emotions clearly because of the CU.
The woman in another shot is also in a CU, with a slight high angle and looking straight at the camera
However it doesn't feel as if she is looking at 'us', i think that her and the man and looking at eachother. Even though the high angle should make her look vulnerable, the confident/bold expression on her face makes her look even more menacing.
The photograph is at eyeline for one photo, and a high angle for the second
This in no way involves the audience, we are very much made to feel like an onlooker
However the poloroids are splayed out as if they are on a table
Therefore maybe we are an all-knowing onlooker
But again this is slightly contradicted by the blurry and undetailed backgrounds of the photos
So perhaps we know what is going on right now, but perhaps not the past/why it is happening

Mise-en-Scene
The title of Memento
This is one of the main signifiers which holds the whole carefull constructed narrative together, it helps the audience piece the bits together and they all link back to 'a memento' - a memory of something, either phsyically or emotionally
The photograph of the man is a poloroid
This connotes being watching/followed as a poloroid is an instant memory of that moment
Then within that poloroid there is another of a woman
This suggests that he is watching her
But then again within this is his photo again
This connotes she knows he is watching her - this carries on and it all suggests lots of watching and secrecy and 'smokes + mirrors' - no one ever knows the full story
All of this is set on a black background
This suggests a very mysterious/murky background to the story - the reason/logic behind it is very unclear
The man is wearing a very stylish cream and black suit, yet it is unclear what she is weraing
This suggests the film is set in a high class area - possibly a very corrupt one with lots of skeletons, the enigma in the narrative is again presented through her unclear dress. The fact we know more about him than her shows that perhaps she is more mysterious than him.
The text reads 'some memories are best forgotten'
This is where most of the information is given about the plot - it connotes memory loss, secrets, skeletons in closets, running away from your past. We are given lots of options so it doesn't give too much away, it really just allows the mind to wander and jump to conculsions - which is a kind of hook to the film
The font of the text is very childlike and almost scribbly
Anything to do with children + the corruption of innocence makes people think of warped + twisted events
The backgrounds to the photos are blurry
This again suggests murky pasts, skeletons in closets, definitely something very bad has happened

People
The man looks quite handsome and rugged - stubble/shaven head/suit
The suit shows that he is respectable but that perhaps he is a little rough around the edges (stubble) - this could possibly be how he used to be - and old life is trying to escape from.
He is in his 20s/30s, white, American or British
Shows he is just an average guy on the surface (maybe other things deeper down) or he has just got caught up in something he shouldn't have.
The woman is around the same age, but she looks perhaps spanish or latina, very naturally beautiful
The beauty makes her probably quite self-confident, quite content,
[Gesture codes] The man is looking over his shoulder
This is a VERY KEY signifier to the plot, it shows he has something to hide (secret/skeleton) that he is worried someone will find out/already knows - something he wants to forget
The woman is directly addressing the camera (possibly him), boldly and almost aggressively
Possibly she knows his secret and she wants to remind him, she wont let him get away with it
They both have shadows on their faces (hers are more predominant than his)
This suggests yet more enigma and question raising from thre audience and shows them to both be a mixture of good and evil

Because of their facial expressions i think they don;t know each other very well and are probably curious, but i think their is definitely an element of sexual tension

Summary
The DVD cover doesn't really reveal anything concrete about the storyline, it mainly connotes secrets and watching. One very prominent theme though was the idea of a murky past - with lots of skeletons and perhaps trying to forget this past and run away.