*** Official "MEMENTO" Discussion Thread

David:

I'll try to answer some of your questions, but I think a lot of the film is the viewers own interpretation, which is something I really loved.


From what I got, the real killer was dead. The photo of him smiling with blood all over him sold me on that one. I think he was continuing on with the quest to find the killer because he had nothing else to live for, and because the memory of his wife's death was so fresh in his mind every day. So, yes, he tricked himself into thinking that Teddy was the killer (along with some help from "friends", of course).

I don't think Teddy was lying. The revelation that Leonard had altered his real memory to suit his quest is, I think, one of the major points in the film. Leonard relies on facts, as he says in one monologue, not memory, so it's not surprising (as well as a bit ironic) that he's altered his most important memory to suit his needs. He says he thinks people put too much on memory, so don't you think it's kind of interesting how he puts his whole life on that one memory, only to find out that he's tricked himself into thinking it was something it's not? Thats the way I think of it, anyway. I'm sure others have different interpretations, and I might as well once I see the film again.


I'm pretty sure the cop was Teddy. Remember, though Teddy claims at the end to have known Leonard for a long time prior, Teddy is attempting to get Leonard to murder someone, and thus doesn't reveal himself as a prior acquantince. The phone conversations take place before the actual movie does, and before he had taken that snapshot of Teddy. So I think, whether or not he was an actual cop, Teddy was the person Leonard was talking to on the phone.


I think this is glazed over a little bit. True, sometimes he does snap into one of his new phases and seems to have the jist of whats going on, but he does consult his photos and body tatoos on numerous occasions. I don't think it could've been done any better, and if it went far enough to have him totally crazy every 15 minutes, I don't think there'd be much of a movie.

Also, there was that thing he mentioned about conditioning. It didn't work for Sammy in that story because it was a mental problem. Perhaps, from so many repeats, Leonard has an impulse to check his pockets for the photos when he wakes up. I think his memory loss was dealt with about as good as possible. Extremely balanced.

And about the waking up and feeling like his wife died, I think he does feel like that, and it's the driving force of his obsession. Remember the scene with the prostitute, how he has her recreate the night of the assault. Not only does he need to have it in his memory all the time, he needs to physically feel the event over and over again like it's new. Kinda pathetic and sad when you think about it.

Jeez...there's so much to talk about in this movie. Anyway, I loved Memento. One of the best films I've seen in a long time. It's definately one that needs to be seen MULTIPLE times in order to sort everything out. I think I did a pretty darn good job after my first viewing for such an incredibly complex film.

Here's my current interpretation. It will probably change after I see the film again:

Leonard's wife survived the attack, but she died as a result of insulin overdose when she tried to shock Leonard out of his condition. Leonard has transformed those events in his mind so that he thinks it happened to Sammy and his (fictitious) wife. Now, I know this would require Leonard to have the ability to form new memories after the attack -- and I think that's the point. Leonard's condition isn't physical; it's psychological, just as he determined Sammy's was. In fact, it was the investigation of Sammy's case that showed Leonard a psychological "strategy" for dealing with the memory of unbearable trauma (that's why a key tattoo tells him to "remember" Sammy). When his wife died, his psyche reordered events, shifted some of his experiences to Sammy, and set up a scenario in which his wife died in the attack, and he wasn't responsible -- a point that he can reinforce for himself over and over by always being on the hunt for her attackers.

Teddy is the one I still can't figure out. Why does he care? Why does he devote all this time and put himself at such risk to service Leonard's delusion?

M.

I think she does know. She refers at one point to the fact that the suit and car belong to someone else. But Natalie's relationship with Jimmy isn't clear (he's referred to as her "boyfriend" but she falls into bed with Leonard pretty quickly). Natalie's story is something we never get in full -- just tantalizing fragments.

M.

I have a pretty different idea of what happened than you guys... which is the great thing about this movie.

As far as the "why does Teddy care so much about Leonard?" question... I believe Teddy was telling the truth, but he was a dirty cop and used Leonard as the perfect patsy for contract killing and drug dealings. I don't think that Jimmy (Jimmy/James/John G), was really Natalie's boyfriend... the picture she shows Leonard seems to be of a much heavier guy who looks similar to him... and he has a coaster in his suit pocket from Natalie's bar with a note to contact her. Why would Jimmy have that if he knew her? Why would Teddy not do anything after the murder and the drug money unless he was involved?

Leonard was sent in by Teddy and Natalie to botch Jimmy's drug deal and take the money... if the police caught him, Teddy and Natalie would never be remembered and be home free. Leonard was clearly hooked up w/ her thru Teddy. She calls Leonard the "memory freak Teddy knows" and was pissed off that he found the coaster and came back to her bar wearing the suit and driving the car full of money because it was an evidence trail straight back to her. But if you played the movie backward, of course, you'd see how she changed her attitude toward him to that of a victim and tried to get him to off Dodd as well, and Teddy and her try to play Leonard against each other.

As far as the beginning... I think I'm the only one here that believes there WAS NO ATTACK. This is why- he has a "remember Sammy Jankis" tatoo on his hand. If the Sammy story were true, the memory would have been intact before the attack, as Leonard can not make NEW memories since the attack. He was investigating Sammy prior. I believe that the rest of the Sammy story about the wife and the insulin, as well as the rape/murder of the wife was manufactured by Teddy, who first met Leonard investigating the death of his wife due to the overdose of Insulin. Leonard had the same degenerative memory condition that Sammy had, not one brought about by head trauma

This gave:
1) Teddy an accomplice to carry out the hits
2) An accomplice who could never finger Teddy because he would never remember who he was... even the picture of Teddy that Leonard had could be explained away as Teddy was the cop investigated his wife's death
3) Motivation for Leonard to be that accomplice (vengence of wife's rape and murder)

My questions....

1) How exactly did Leonard link "John G" as the killers name? If it was Teddy who did it, why? Obviously that was the reason Teddy gets killed in the end (I mean the beginning)

2) The 2 scratches on Leonards cheek throughout the movie, did he get them from the fight w/ Jimmy? Did he get them in that first murder where the Teddy took the picture of Leonard bloody and smiling? Can't remember
Chuck

I had forgotten about the scratches, but now that I think about it, I'm almost positive that he DIDN'T have the scratches in the black and white segment. I'm pretty sure he got the scratches in his brawl with Jimmy.

Steven-

I agree w/ the others here that the cop on the phone w/ Leonard was Teddy. The way the movie unfolded, it seemed like we were being served more and more of the black and white scenes like they were the conclusion, when they were actually the earliest action of the movie we get to see. I think you are right about the scratches... they are not there.

I think that the B&W footage takes place after Teddy's first interaction w/ Leonard after the wife dies and the investigation is done, but before that first murder that we never see... it may have been a year later, or not. We can't really be sure, as it comes from Teddy. But maybe it is true and Teddy was lying low for a while, then came back to exploit Leonard's condition. They find the first victim, Leonard kills him, gets the scratches on his face, the bloody poloroid is taken (the first one he has, I think), then forgets the whole thing, and the hunt for a new John G (Jimmy Grantz) begins


Chuck

Dave-

In going w/ my theory about Teddy using Leonard, I would say that Teddy presents himself in 2 ways- Teddy the good cop (on the phone) and Teddy the dirty cop (in the flesh). I think Teddy uses both personas to test where Leonard's loyalties are from day to day, especially if he is getting outside information or help (remember he does tell Leonard the truth about Natalie and the Jaguar). Between the cop and the hood, Teddy will always be able to get the real story from Leonard

Remember he has the "Don't answer the phone" tatoo? Do you think it was covered w/ that bandage because he wanted to start ignoring it, or just because it was a fresh tatoo and needed to heal? Remember Teddy slips the "Take my call" note? Leonard does go back on things he holds as truth a few times in the film... he had an original note about Natalie which was replaced by "She has also lost someone and will help you out of pity" after she feigned the attack by Dodd.

OK- side question

Anyone know the title of the David Bowie song that's played in the end credits?

CS

Hey guys...I just discovered something on the film's main website (www.otnemem.com). Go there and look around a bit...there's a newspaper clipping that rather conspiciously tells whether or not Leonard's wife was killed in the assault...

I've saw this superb film back in December, but without it fresh in my head I've been lurking until the upcoming UK DVD hits rental (yes, its priced for rental to start with, to stop you nice US people importing it).

I basically agree with Michael as well, so theres not too much I can add, other than to rave once again about this wonderful movie. If anyone lurking hasn't seen it yet (shame on you for reading all these spoilers), do so.

I pretty much agree with Michael's analysis too. Got another question for you guys:

When Lenny tries to take Teddy's picture, Teddy quickly glances around and says "Not here" and makes Lenny walk over a few steps to the truck and then lets him take his picture. Why?

Another thing that I noticed, although this is likely just a continuity problem: On Natalie's picture, Lenny scratches off "don't trust her" but when you see him do it, the writing is still semi-legible. When you see the picture earlier in the film, the writing is completely blacked out.

My interpretations of this film and discussion.

Leonard is the one that killed his wife, with the overdose of insulin. This Sammy Jenkins character may have existed before his condition started, so he convienently remembers it that Sammy is the one that did it.

Now how has he changed that fact when he supposedly remembers everything before the accident? His condition is psychological, not physical. Therefore he remembers what he wants to. After the accident he probably sat around watching commercials in this state, his wife trying to break him out of it gave him the insulin test. He kills her and does realize it on some level. He invents this second murderer John G, which gives him some kind of life purpose.

Somehow Teddy becomes involved and helps him kill at least one person, the proof being the happy polaroid. Teddy is the cop on the phone, is using him. For how long I don't know. Teddy and Natalie are somehow in it together, they want Leonard to kill this Jimmy guy. He does, Teddy reminds him of the truth of the situation, Leonard doesn't like the truth, so he sets out to kill Teddy, by writing down his license plate number and burning the other polaroids.

One question is does he continue to kill more John G's after he kills Teddy? Where does he go from there? He has got Teddy's licence number tattooed on him as a fact.

I could be wrong about a few things here, please correct me in any spot where you see an error. I really need to go see it again.

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"You know, there's a million fine looking women in the world, dude. But they
don't all bring you lasagna at work. Most of 'em just cheat on you."

Optimus Prime Films

Ross- I think you and I are in total agreement

I just checked out the website. Don't you think it's odd that he would not be carrying that newspaper clipping of the attack that they have on the website, and that there are no hard facts like that anywhere in the movie to let us KNOW she was raped and murdered? The site is not there to tell us the how the movie ends, it's to support the little we're supposed to know going in about how it begins- it's a movie was about a man who was attacked, his wife murdered and he's left piecing his memories together as he seeks revenge... but I don't believe that's what the movie shows us really happened. I am going to stand by what I saw in the movie. I say: screw the website!

Eugene- that is a good question, I was thinking about that too. I am going to catch that movie again and see how my theory holds up.

And I have one other thing to add on Ross' post- perhaps the pain of his wife was so severe that his is able to remember one thing linked to her death... that a "John G" is involved. But that "John G" is Teddy, the cop investigating his wife's death, this is the only memory he can grasp on to. This is the first memory he tatoos on himself

Remember- Teddy only admits he is John G at the end of the movie (beginning of the events). He says "Only my mother calls me Teddy", but then only goes by Teddy the rest of the movie to keep the deceptive partnership going... little does he know that in that brief time Leonard writes "Don't believe his lies" on the poloroid and takes down his license plate, which proves to be a crucial mistake in the end, and Leonard kills him

CS

My .02 centimes....

Everything Teddy says at the end is true, in that

1) Leonard's wife did survive
2) Leonard's wife dies when she "tested" Leonard with the insulin.
3) Leonard did find A John G. and killed him. (maybe not THE John G. but this is immaterial)
4) Teddy was the cop on the case, recognised the value of Leonard's condition and has basically been using him as a killer to suit his needs.

Also, Leonard does not have the scratches in the B&W shots, he gets them killing Jimmy. I remember this clearly as I was waiting for the scene where he acquires them.

Did anyone else notice the brief memory flashback at the end of the movie to Leonard lying in bed, with his wife, with the tattoo "I DID IT" over his heart? This bugs the crap out of me because he was lying WITH HIS WIFE. Then why does he also have the "John G. raped and murdered my wife" tattoo also? If this means that none of the memory flashbacks we see are reliable then what the hell is the purpose of showing them? This one scene almost keeps me from really enjoying the movie.

I have no problems with ambiguous endings but this scene causes so many issues that it pisses me off.

P.S. It's been so long that I've been in a theater, watching a movie, and had the conscious thought of "holy crap, this is good" that I did with this.

Steve


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"and then...depression set in"

StephenK:

To tell you the truth, I didn't notice the "I Did It" tattoo, but I can understand its presence in the context of the ending scenes. I think part of the message about the movie IS that memories aren't reliable. The tattoo on his chest before he killed his wife with the insulin (which I definately think he did) only further illustrates the way Leonard shifted his own memories to suit his needs.

It's all part of the irony, I think...

Wow, there was a flashback with his tattoo saying "I did it". It makes perfect sense to me, deep down he knows he did it, but he's covering it up with his selective memory loss.

Something else that I didn't see, but my girlfriend did, is during the flashback to where Sammy is giving his wife an overdose, she saw a 1 frame flash of Leonard in his place.

I'm sure there are hundreds of clues that I missed the first time around. God I love movies like this that spark such great conversations. Where people who've seen the same film get different interpretations.

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"You know, there's a million fine looking women in the world, dude. But they
don't all bring you lasagna at work. Most of 'em just cheat on you."

Optimus Prime Films

My girlfriend corrected me, the 1 frame flash of Leonard was during a flashback of Sammy in the hospital. So look for it there.

What a *fascinating* film; I'm definitely going to have to see this a second and third time (once it gets to Jersey -- had to drive to the City to catch it, though it was WELL worth it).

Immediately when the movie ended, and everybody started getting up, I thought, "What kind of ending is this?" So did quite a few others, and they seemed disappointed. However, as I was walking back to my car and talking with my friend about it, it dawned on me that it was a perfect ending, and that, aside from a few things mentioned on that website that I wish had been included somewhere in the B/W moments, I'm glad the director didn't wrap things up in a nice, neat bow. My initial overall reaction was that the movie felt a lot like Fight Club, especially with the "twist" at the end. However, I do feel the movie stands extremely well on its own, and I hope it comes up for a few oscars this time next year (definitely one for Best Original Story). Side note: Rottentomatoes right now has it listed at 94%, with one dissenter complaining about unoriginality/boring if it were not edited the way it was; I disagree -- the story is taut and well-crafted even without the unique narrative given.

Some points:

* I can't recall the specifics (my memory, um...sucks ) but didn't Natalie ask about that empty spot on his chest, the spot where he "remembers" having the words I Did It (or whatever it said; I thought it was more words than that) at the end? He made a comment about it, but I can't remember the comment. Seems that either he got rid of that tattoo, or that last memory was not real.

* I disagree with whomever thought that the Jimmy G. that Leonard killed at the end wasn't in fact the same Jimmy G. that Natalie knew. No, I think she knew him, and was so pissed off that Leonard killed him that she tried to get him killed by faking the whole boyfriend-abuse. Eventually, though, she came to pity him and (I think) fell in love with him.

* I agree with most of what was said about Teddy -- he definitely was a dirty cop, and although I'm not sure how the two met, Teddy was using Leonard to knock off drug dealers and take their money (knowing he'd have the perfect alibi if Leonard ever got caught). As the movie unfolds, we're first left with the impression that Teddy is murdered because he's the real killer. But at the end, when we're left with the impression that Leonard is, in order to keep his "sanity", creating a need to find his wife's killer, we feel like his act at the start of the movie is pointless (which was why I initially was uncomfortable with the movie's abrupt ending). But looking at it again, we see, in a new light, a sense of poetic justice against Teddy. In using Leonard for his own corrupt means, he unwittingly brings about his own demise. That was an epiphany for me, and why I really love this movie and can't wait to see it again.

* I couldn't follow for the life of me the hotels and room numbers. Leonard started out (movie-wise) in 304, but the desk clerk said he also had 302 rented out. But later (earlier?) when he kicks in the door to Dodd's room, it's #6 (implying by a different number schema that they're different hotels). Which hotels were which, and where and when was Leonard staying at each?

* Did anybody else find amusing the comment wrote on the back of Teddy's photo: "He is the one." I couldn't help but think of Pantoliano as Cypher in The Matrix.

Like was said above, this movie can be (and will be) analyzed fifteen ways to Sunday, and there'll still be questions left unanswered. I'm still lookin' for some of those answers myself


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On April 2nd 2001 War Was Beginning
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Wow! I just watched this excellent film yesterday and I haven't stopped thinking about it. This film is truly one giant puzzle that requires repeated viewings to fully grasp it entirely.

It has only been given a limited release, yet Memento has managed to make it into IMDB's Top 250 Films of All-Time list (#173).

I'm hoping the DVD will feature a seamless-branching option that will allow us to watch the film in chronological order.

OK, just saw this one tonight and I've really enjoyed reading your discussions. My brain is still processing everything this movie had to offer, but here's my first real question:

What was Dodd's deal? I realize that Natalie duped Leonard into fighting Dodd...but to what end? I understand the connection between Natalie and Teddy...and Natalie and Jimmy...but not Natalie and Dodd.

I mean - Ultimately, they just let Dodd drive away, right?

(Please don't tell me I missed some glaring plot point, as I'm supposed to be a bona fide critic here!)

By the way, I freakin' loved this movie. As I stated in a new Spoiler-Free thread I started, I predict Memento will get Oscar nominations for Best Screenplay, Best Editing and possibly Best Director. And if I'm wrong, so what? It's still a brilliant, fascinating and ridiculously entertaining movie.


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"KNEEL before Zod!"

I can't add too much to the substantive discussion about what happened, because it has left my head spinning. I think I know and then I read here a extremely feasible alternative and it is making me dizzy.

But I am going to add my immense satisfaction and appreciation of this film. I hope it is not forgotten for next year's awards season: screenplay and editing most likely and then I would add Dirctor and actor for Guy Pearce. Heck, why not Best Picture?

Did I mention I really liked this movie? I am going to see it again.

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"Did anyone else notice the brief memory flashback at the end of the movie to Leonard lying in bed, with his wife, with the tattoo "I DID IT" over his heart? This bugs the crap out of me because he was lying WITH HIS WIFE. Then why does he also have the "John G. raped and murdered my wife" tattoo also?"

Actually, I'm not sure but I think the "raped and murdered" tatoo is different in this last flashback shot. I've only seen it once, but one of the guys I saw it with was there for his second time and was looking for this. Apparently the tatoo is slightly different; I think the word "murdered" is left off. Can anyone confirm this?

If so, does this mean he had his tatoo altered later on to accommodate the fact of his wife's death? Or does it simply mean we cannot trust any of his memory flashbacks? The latter would seem to bolster what the film says about memory itself, that it cannot be trusted.

Loved this film. Loved it.

Oh, and I also had the question---posted earlier---about how he can even be cognizant of his condition. I suppose I just have to accept it as a filmmaker's choice and suspend the old disbelief in that instance. Having to deal with relearning the condition every time he wakes up, or every time he snaps to attention, would have made for a fifteen hour film.

-C

About being cognizant of his condition...isn't that what the tatoo on his hand that said "remember whatshisname" was for?