Memento – Third Act – Peach A, Sarah Bennett

Alis Locanta’s enigmatic and evocative “Memento” series reaches its conclusion with “Third Act,” but those who have seen the first two episodes will not be surprised to learn that the words “the end” can mean different things to different people. In structure, style, and content “Memento – Third Act” is definitely the third piece of the puzzle — Peach A continues to muse and meditate on love, lust, and relationships from her past, but ambiguity and uncertainty are the rules, not the exception — critics, students, and scholars will find much to interpret, analyze, and examine here. As in the first two installments, a relationship from Mango’s past is coming to an end. Here her lover is Sarah Bennett, and it’s made achingly clear that this relationship has lost its balance. Power shifts unpredictably. Passion soars and resentment festers. Desire sparks, ignites, flares brightly, and then burns out in an instant. Love turns to distain, attraction to repulsion, fire into ice. And as they struggle with the insurmountable dysfunction that surrounds them, Mango and Lindsay collide in two back-to-back couplings. In the first, Mango is dominant, employing skill and calculation, seasoned with real passion, to bring Lindsay to an explosive orgasm. But afterglow is fleeting, pleasure passes quickly, and love is unrequited. Later on, still obviously injured, Mango remains dominant, but this time as the recipient of Tracy’s attentions. When orgasm hits, it hits hard — but not hard enough to heal, repair, or unbreak that which is hopelessly damaged. But there is hope. As day turns to night a subtle change is visible. For Peach A the past is the past, captured in the three acts of “Memento.” The future, however, has yet to be written.