Memento

Main Plot

"Memento," directed by Christopher Nolan, is a psychological thriller that explores the complexities of memory and identity. The film follows Leonard Shelby, a man suffering from short-term memory loss due to a traumatic incident. Leonard is on a quest to find the person who he believes raped and murdered his wife, a crime that also left him with his condition. Due to his inability to form new memories, Leonard uses Polaroid photographs and tattoos significant information on his body as a makeshift memory system. The narrative structure of "Memento" is unique, as it unfolds in two separate sequences: one in black and white that progresses chronologically, and a second in color that is shown in reverse order. This dual narrative converges at the end of the film, creating a compelling and disorienting experience that mirrors Leonard's fragmented and unreliable perspective. The film challenges the viewer to piece together the story and question the reliability of memory and perception, culminating in a twist that forces a reevaluation of all that has preceded it.

Characters

• Guy Pearce plays Leonard Shelby, a man with short-term memory loss using notes and tattoos to hunt for his wife's murderer.
• Carrie-Anne Moss plays Natalie, who manipulates the protagonist with memory loss to achieve her own revenge against those who wronged her.
• Joe Pantoliano plays Teddy, a manipulative acquaintance who uses the protagonist's memory condition to his advantage, ultimately revealed as a corrupt cop and antagonist.

Ending Explained

In the conclusion of Christopher Nolan's film 'Memento', the protagonist Leonard Shelby, who suffers from short-term memory loss, discovers the unsettling truth about his quest for vengeance. Throughout the movie, Leonard uses Polaroid photos and tattoos as memory aids to track and kill the man he believes raped and murdered his wife. The narrative, presented in a unique structure of alternating black-and-white sequences that proceed chronologically, and color sequences that unfold in reverse order, converges in the final scenes to reveal a complex twist. Leonard ultimately finds and kills Teddy, a man he believes to be his wife's killer based on a photo with a handwritten note. However, in the final moments, it is revealed through Teddy that Leonard had already killed the real attacker a year ago, and has since been manipulated into killing multiple unrelated individuals. Teddy claims that Leonard has created a false reality to give himself purpose and to cope with his grief and guilt. Leonard, choosing to reject this truth, decides to set Teddy up as his next target, effectively continuing the cycle of vengeance based on manipulated and self-deceptive memories. This ending underscores themes of memory, identity, and the subjective nature of reality.