Memento
Movie, 2000, The 2000s, Set in A man with no short-term memory
Memento is #2 of 13 in release order and #2 of 13 in chronological order in the Christopher Nolan.
The story
Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.
Memento recap
Memento (2000) follows Leonard Shelby, a man who cannot form new memories, as he hunts the man who raped and killed his wife. Christopher Nolan adapted the story from his brother Jonathan's short story "Memento Mori". Guy Pearce plays Leonard, a former insurance investigator who keeps track of his world with Polaroids, notes and tattoos, including one that names the killer as "John G". Colour scenes run backwards, each ending where the previous one began, while black-and-white scenes move forward as Leonard talks on a motel phone and recalls Sammy Jankis (Stephen Tobolowsky), an amnesiac whose insurance claim he denied and whose diabetic wife died after Sammy gave her repeated insulin shots. Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss), a bartender, uses Leonard to get rid of a dealer named Dodd, and Teddy (Joe Pantoliano), who claims to be a friend, keeps turning up. Memento is Nolan's second film, after Following and before Insomnia.
Memento ending explained
Memento ends with the scene that starts the story in time order: Leonard kills Jimmy Grantz, a dealer Teddy led him to, then hears Jimmy whisper "Sammy". Teddy, an undercover cop, admits Leonard killed the real attacker a year ago and that he has been steering Leonard toward other "John G"s ever since. He adds that Leonard's wife survived the assault and was diabetic, implying Leonard gave her the fatal insulin and pinned the memory on Sammy. Leonard chooses to forget, writing himself a note that makes Teddy his next target, which leads to the shooting shown at the very start.
Post-credits scenes
No. Memento has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Memento
Memento is streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock, The CW, and Kanopy in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 94%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Following, before Insomnia.
- Chronological order: after Following, before Insomnia.
Cast
- Guy Pearce as Leonard
- Carrie-Anne Moss as Natalie
- Joe Pantoliano as Teddy
- Mark Boone Junior as Burt
- Russ Fega as Waiter
- Jorja Fox as Leonard's Wife
- Stephen Tobolowsky as Sammy
- Harriet Sansom Harris as Mrs. Jankis
- Thomas Lennon as Doctor
- Callum Keith Rennie as Dodd
- Kimberly Campbell as Blonde
- Marianne Muellerleile as Tattooist
Directed by Christopher Nolan.