"Memento" in Chronological Order | The Dark Side of Leonard
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 พ.ค. 2021
- An experimental video essay/montage hybrid that examines Christopher Nolan's "Memento", to see how viewing the film in chronological order affects our perception of Leonard.
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Watching it in chronological order you see how exhausting and stressful it would be to have to deal with and interact with Leonard.
''Looking for the guy you already killed.''
The girl trolling him lmfaooooo
@@thedovah8102 Natalie is the only one left for Leonard now
@@kitgo596 The hotel manager too
@@hunterdelarm6773I wouldn’t compare what the hotel manager did to what Natalie made him do
The whole movie is a series of twists between who is truly manipulating Leonard - Natalie or Teddy. Turns out, they were both manipulating him. But the ultimate twist is that, he was manipulating himself. Such a brilliant movie.
Perfectly said
@@Frilleon You can't fool me, I've fooled myself....
Teddy is John g, using Leonard to rob and kill drug dealers. Not sure how people don’t get this
@@robyee3325 ok, but lenny killed his wife
@@robyee3325 actually you are the one who didn't get that.
“The unreliable narrator who doesn’t realise how unreliable he is” is brilliant
Love an unreliable narrator. Barry Lyndon is another good example.
@@DeepfriedBaby why is barry lyndon an unreliable narrator?
@@swaggyyankee1627 I forget.
Donny Darko is also unreliable narrator
Latro is also another example of a character like this from the 1986 book “Soldier of the mist” it’s about a soldier during the Persian invasions of Greece who has the same condition and has to write notes to himself.
My theory is that Nolan accidentally dropped the unbound script on the floor and was too lazy to re-arrange them back again.
th-cam.com/video/jstwea6RA0Q/w-d-xo.htmlm42s
😂😂😂
Shhh...
@@Chip_Fuse it's Nolan
@@turboterminator7 Why did you help him? Now he fixed the spelling.
One of my favourite Nolan films, last line always gives me Goosebumps "Now... where was I."
And then that needle drop is pretty perfect.
Also when he says “I can’t remember to forget you.” Is one of my favorite lines.
@@daniel_netzel needle drop?
@@automotives902 8:20 I guess the squealing tyres sound like a needle drop.
@@automotives902 Backthony Wardstano here...
The “chronological order” version was included as a bonus on the special edition DVD.
But they cut that openning backwards scene. The scene was included here around 16:00.
Yeah something about starting the movie as the words ‘Memento Mori’ pop up on screen. Not sure if this works on the blu ray though. Would love a 4k release of this masterpiece and to have a special feature that plays the movie in chronological order.
Yes indeed. I have the special 2 disk DVD that resembles a psychiatric file.
I was never able to get that cut of the film to play properly. It would always freeze after 10 minutes or so.
It's silly that the original DVD didn't include this feature.
It makes Natalie's actions more understandable. She sees Jimmy's car and clothes with his killer in them.
The subtle things are amazing. Like how we see Lenny's suit seems a bit too big for him especially for such an expensive suit. Or like why the Jag is covered in sut and dirt and has a broken window (we learn the window was because of the shootout with Dodd and the sut and dirt was the night Lenny burned his wife's possessions). Amazing film. Absolutely Nolan's best.
That's something you were supposed to pick up from the proper version... but it sounds like you weren't able to process the information unless it was completely spelled out to you
@CWS and TKP 66-02 mmmmmm
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 not best but really good. So...another Nolan film
@@Antwannnn it's either Memento or Prestige and I say Memento
It’s really interesting to see things play out in their natural order of occurrence, it definitely paints Leonard as a much darker protagonist. The editing in this was awesome. I bet Nolan would appreciate this, especially the analysis on how people manipulate their own memories of events, such a strong point of the film.
An unreliable narrator, that's what. Like Tyler Durden, Aaron Stampler, Teddy Daniels, and Keyser Soze.
I like that two of those people were played by Edward Norton
It’s actually out on the internet, I saw it about 10 years ago. Very interesting
👍🏼
@@RandoLePerson in the actual film the black and white parts are chronological and the colour parts are backwards
The original story is Leonard’s POV.
The chronological cut is Teddy’s POV
Damn, Teddy really shoulda gotten out of there after that first guy LOL
Oh he should have booked it as soon as he started looking for another John G.
there are plenty of clues that Sammy Jankis story is actually Leonard’s own. That shot of him in the chair where he replaces Sammy which is just one of them. There is one more subtle clue, Leonard writes down everything in capital letters on his photos, name and some description of the person on the photo, when Teddy tells him to write down that Natalie is going tu use him (which is the truth btw but Leonard doesn’t want to believe it), Leonard writes it down in his handwriting so he recognizes the difference in handwriting and realizes this is not true and crosses it out. The same thing with tatoos on his body, all those "facts" are written in capital letters except for the one tatoo on his hand that says "remember Sammy Jankis" which is written in handwriting, obvious clue that there is something not quite right with that whole Sammy story. There are also scenes at the end (or chronological middle) of Leonard giving insuline to his wife, and his wife lying in the bed with Leonard who has tatoos all over his body, clearly a hint that his wife survived the assault and actally was killed by Leonard giving her insuline later.
We can assume that everything Teddy tells him after he killed that drug dealer is true, he has no reason to lie to him, why would you lie to someone who can’t remember anything and is just gonna forget it in a few minutes, Teddy knows he is putting himself in danger by telling the truth to Leonard who doesn’t want to hear it.Teddy is actually trying to help Leonard, getting him new clothes, telling him to get rid of that car and get out of town because he just killed a guy and is walking around in his clothes and is driving his car. So he does have some empathy for Leonard and clearly has been with him for a while, but Leonard doesn’t want the truth, he decides to not trust Teddy simply because he doesn’t want to remember the actual truth and creates himself a puzzle he’ll never solve.
That story about Sammy when the doctor is giving him electric shock when he picks up some object is to show us even though people with this condition can’t make new memories, they can be conditioned to believe something through repetition and intuition. And thats what Leonard is doing to himself, he repeats the story of how John G. killed his wife and how Sammy killed his wife with insulin over and over and over again million times every day to everyone he meets, so he is conditioning himself to believe this through repetition. There is also a moment in those black and white scenes where Leonard says to Teddy over the phone something like "why would she give it to me, I was an insurance investigator, not a doctor?" which is clearly a hint about him giving insuline to his wife.
So this movie at first seems to be a story about a man who is looking for the guy who killed his wife and left him with brain damage, but in the end is actually a story about a man who is creating this elaborate lie to try and escape from the truth about what happenned, so the whole murder mystery is actually Leonard’s way of coping by escaping from reality of what happenned. As you said, when you watch the movie in chronological order everything makes much more sense and is much more easier to understand, that reverse storytelling Nolan used throws you off completely and its very difiicult to piece everyrhing together without watching multiple times.
That... was a very long comment and also very insightful. Thanks you.
The confusion due to the events being played backwards is of course intentional. This is how we can sympathize with Leonard; we are as lost as he is, relying on the same clues as him (though even then, we may know some things he doesn't because we already know - at times - what's to come). Whereas the true chronological order... well, it leaves us with mixed feelings about his actions, character and him lying to himself intentionally...
I think it's interesting how in each individual scene he *tries* to be a morally just person (apart from the whole revenge thing), but seen as whole and in order... he's much more ambiguous, and almost more a pawn of his own actions, contrary to how the movie-order makes him seem so much more the victim of and opportunity for others.
@@thekueken thank you, the whole movie actually plays out as some sort of a magic trick, the whole time you think it's one thing but then it turns out to be something completely different, and on many different levels as well. The story at first seems to be about a man who is looking for his wife's killer and is trying to learn the truth about what happened, but it turns out he killed his wife and the story is actually him trying to escape from the truth about what happened. You think he's a decent guy trying to do the right thing, but it turns out he is much darker character and is intentionally lying to himself to hide the truth and wants to live in this perpetual lie.
Movie also plays with stereotypes, Joe Pantoliano usually plays some sort of shady characters and you're not sure which side he's on and this movie presents him as that kind of character, but in the end he turns out to be the only guy who actually shows some empathy towards Leonard and is trying to help him. Natalie just manipulates him for her own benefit, that motel owner also tricks him into paying for multiple rooms at the same time, Teddy is the only half decent person who is genuinely trying to help him and in the end tells him the actual truth about what is happening, but that leads to his death and Leonard actually kills him because he told him the truth. It is actually tragic and kind of bizzare and funny at the same time. It’s pure irony because the whole movie Leonard is running around playing detective pretending that he wants to find out the truth, but when Teddy tells him the truth (that his wife survived the assault, that Leonard killed her later by giving her multiple shots of insuline, that they already killed the real John G. who was the second attacker, that Leonard himself created this unsolvable mystery and removed the pages from that police report etc.) he not only refuses to believe it but decides to kill Teddy and tricks himself into making him his next target so in the end he kills the only guy who cared about him at least a little bit. Teddy did take advantage of Lenny by having him kill these dealers and making money out of that, but he was also only person actually helping him throghout the movie, trying to protect him and he helped him find the real John G. who Leonard killed but didn’t remember. And it was Leonard himself who created this witch hunt in trying to find and kill this guy who he already killed, Teddy just directed him towards guys who were actual criminals and looked over him. Teddy is the only good guy in this movie, Leonard is much worse and darker character
Teddy throughout the story, was trying to get Lenny to give up the car, because Teddy wanted the 200k in the trunk.
Good point about handwriting note about Sammy, but why are tattoos different on that flashback scene with his wife ?
Do we have any confirmation tho that Sammy and he had the same condition? Can we even trust Teddy's statement that Sammy had no wife, if Lennard recalled memories of that wife coming to his office.
The man who plays Sammy, is such a good actor. I feel so sorry for his character. Everytime sammys face comes on screen. I get sad. It’s just a really sad story that was portrayed brilliantly by the actor!
Stephen Tobolowsky! aka Ned Ryerson aka Needlenose Ned aka Ned the Head!
@@Brendan-Black Ah that's why he was familiar! Funny enough I think I've realized this before and had since forgotten, who knows how many times now XD Goundhog Day is my favorite movie!
I actually was hurt to realize that there never was a Sammy, and he was just someone Leonard created in order to remove guilt to killing his own wife.
@@osmanyousif7849 well there was, but he was a fraud/faker. He didn’t have a wife.
But take heart that his character wasn’t even real in the movie. His character was modified in Leonard’s mind. The real Sammy was a fraud who did indeed fake his memory loss, and he had no wife. Leonard was the real Sammy.
Those polaroids are kinda terrifying. Especially the one of him covered in blood smiling at the camera.
Some people have argued that there is a "happy ending" version of the story. If you think about it, by killing Teddy, Leonard is actually breaking the cycle, because Teddy is really the evil one here, he seems to have been using Leonard for a long time. Even though Leonard's motivation is to forget what Teddy told him by killing him, by tatooing the license plate number he has created a problem for himself. What happens when he tries and track down the car again? He will find out that the owner is deceased and then what? Will he just keep doing this over and over or will he finally get the tattoo on hist chest that we see in a flashback that says "I did it"? Maybe he didn't actually kill his wife and they live happily ever after? Maybe Teddy was lying to him so he keeps killing for him? Fascinating movie to be sure!
Yeah above all I’m wondering what that clip of him with his wife with the ‘I DID IT’ tattoo means. Is it just something he made up in his head or does he really get that tattoo and move on after killing Teddy? Even if he did she’s dead so she couldn’t be there so it’s still most likely something he’s imagining, or maybe she isn’t dead and it was just more lies from Teddy because we know he can’t be trusted. It’s the only shot in the film that is an actual mystery.
Teddy doesn't die until the end of the plot (beginning of the movie)
Teddy was the only one to stick with him the entire time. His motives for manipulation were far less selfish than natalie's. Teddy actually helped him kill John G. And then kept with him even after. He started to use him to get other perps and hopefully have him finally realize his quest is over as we can assume hes given him that monologue every other time hes killed somebody.
Teddy is John g, using Leonard to rob and kill drug dealers. Not sure how people don’t get this
@@JBoxy7 Teddy is John g, using Leonard to rob and kill drug dealers. Not sure how people don’t get this
Holy crap I thought this was gonna be a joke or a meme or something but you ACTUALLY did it lmao
Haha, to the best of my ability without getting copyright striked at least lol
@@daniel_netzel I'm surprised but also very glad you didn't
This reminds me of an interesting Psychological-Legal phenomena called the "story model", where jurors are more convinced when the facts are laid out in a narrative structure rather than by topic. It theoretically allows lawyers to convince jurors of a certain interpretation by skillfully framing a sequence of events, much like Memento does.
We're emotional creatures, learning how to weave a story to impact emotions is a part of virtually every industry on the planet, and I feel like I've seen enough true crime to attest that it certainly plays out that way in court haha.
@@daniel_netzel It has terrifying implications though. As you've demonstrated so nicely here it changes how we interpret right and wrong. Multiply that to every national or ideological narrative and it's a tad disconcerting.
@@daniel_netzel And it often plays out that way in how true crime is constructed. Especially Netflix docs.
@@danielt6856 Insightful.
As someone who has extensively studied law and history, it strikes me that we almost always weave narratives out of incomplete information. Concerning historical events, not only are some facts undiscoverable, but even when relevant facts are available somewhere, our time is limited, so even facts that can be discovered are often unknown to us. If I write a book about the Eastern Front next year and continue studying the Eastern Front, and if I consistently apply rationality as opposed to emotion, then it is likely that the book I write ten years later about the exact same subject will contain very different narratives.
And rationality is a rarity - for instance, in the USSR the narrative was that the evil Germans invaded the USSR for no good reason, when in fact the USSR and Germany were both bent on invading their neighbors, and it was really just a clash of two tyrants.
In the end, many people emotionally reject the realities of history, because those realities tend to be too dark and uncomplimentary to be appealing.
I wonder to what extent it can be said that we are all like Leonard - our collective memories are incomplete, and we often choose to believe a fiction, because we don't want to face a truth.
Which is exactly why leaving the verdict of criminal cases to a jury of untrained laymen is completely irresponsible. These decisions need to be made by qualified specialists who are well versed in the psychology of how memory is distorted by its reconstructive nature.
The most striking aspect of this movie is how Lenny's experience mimics the real feeling of grief. You are constantly waking up to the reality that whatever you lost is still gone. Every morning when you get out of bed, every time you manage to distract yourself with a good conversation or an engaging movie, you snap back to the reality of a situation you can't change, and it's just as painful every time
Although he may have put himself onto countless killings in the past, It's hard to see how the cycle of killing continues after Teddy considering the fact he added "having the license number SG1371U" as a permanent criteria for John G. Adding the license plate # narrowed down the pool of potential victims to Teddy only or whoever has that plate going forward. He would need to consciously kill the wrong person or alter/remove the tattoo in some way which would take another definitive decision to continue killing. In the end his decision to target Teddy, the guy who enabled his killings, most likely would end his killing spree whether he intended that or not.
simple, he will cover those facts up with a new tattoo.
Is that license number exclusive to one state? If not, the search can continue.
I think this is the right interpretation because at the end sequence, when he is flashing back to memories of his wife, he has a new tattoo over his heart that says “I’ve done it.”
I saw it as him spitefully condemning Teddy for trying to break his world view
@@laserpmr Underrated reply - we see him change other things, so this is valid.
One of my favorite films.
It's pretty clear to me that Teddy is taking advantage and the big reveal at the beginning of the film is Leonard intentionally lies to himself in order to break the cycle.
To reset the cycle
@@MrTraxStareset it to break it. Without Teddy there’s no one to lie to him about fake John G’s.
@@shineinouzen7412Except for: himself
@@shineinouzen7412 but he killed a cop so he’s going to jail
His tattoos and his notes continues to create a new story. Since the movie ends with "So, where was I?" It frees him from Teddy's exploitation but doesn't save himself from his own.
After countless viewings I’ve come to the conclusion that he was somewhat “faking” it. So there’s a website that came out at the time of the film release that claimed Leonard Shelby was an escaped mental patient. The special edition dvd is packaged like a psychiatrist dossier, which has an option to view the movie in chronological order btw. Leonard states that Sammy should’ve been able to remember through repetition. And finally when Natalie tries to tear up the Dodd picture he instinctively tells her you have to burn them. Somewhere deep down Leonard knows what he’s done.
That burning thing is something I always thought of. How did he remembrr/know?
@@MrKYT-gb8gs the only explanation (if his condition is real) is that he knew that fact before the incident, which isn’t improbable to be honest
@@moose3864 I mean in the finale scene he instinctively knew to burn it right? so I'd assume he knew it beforehand.
@@moose3864 a big thing is instinct. He doesn't have memories but he has instincts, so my head cannon is he knows that but doesn't know *why* he knows that.
LOL. btw, in the movie, he always check his notes at the back of a certain picture. after a reset, in his condition, he should not aware that he has such an illness. And the first thing that he ought to do is to look for his dying wife because he said that's the last thing he remembers. some say that he has a muscle memory because of a practice he said, "doing things by repetition". why he hadn't checked Teddy's picture at the back after beating Dodd? LOL i like the film's theme though. people are hypocrites because they only want to remember altered memories to feel good about themselves and in order to survive is to go on with hypocrisy. LOL using Lenny and the story of Sammy to point that out though, they failed because of too many flaws. for me, not as impressive as these people thought of it.
This is a really well-constructed edit.
Thanks so much! The render times made my head hurt, but it was worth it.
@@daniel_netzel2 years later, it was still worth it, thank you for one of the best videos on youtube :)
Watching the movie in chronological order is just sad, it’s the story of a vulnerable man on a path of destruction. And the people who cross his path don’t do the decent thing and try to help him, but either use him or look the other way.
This sadly reflects how we treat mental illness in others
Teddy did help him tho. He helped him catch john G. And has been trying to convince him his quest is done when he kills another. Hes kinda similar to the shutter island doctors in his manipulation.
@@JBoxy7Teddy used Lenny to kill petty criminals for money.
Teddy has done nothing to "help" Lenny
@@Shellll I just said he helped him catch the actual John G. Hes also been the only person to stick with him through everything. You can tell teddy's been with him a while because he doesnt actually consider the idea that lenny might kill him until the last moment of his life. Hes also not worried even though hes a john G. Using lenny to catch petty criminals is also not even that bad considering nothing happened when he caught the actual john g. All teddy did was steer him toward criminals instead of random people.
We need those 12 pages.
Also that shot of Sammy/Leonard in the psych ward completely breaks my brain every time.
right?! my dad and i watched it together and in that split second we jumped in our seats.
wait what? when was it?
@@tyraa4101 6:36
I like how Trinity is after Cypher in this reality, too.
More like Jeri Hogarth wanting to team up with Aldrich Killian (aka not Mandarin...) to take down Ben Urich.
Trinity recommended cypher for the role of Teddy.
Oh wow that's where I recognized him from
6:36 I had seen Memento a bunch of times but never noticed that switch before until I saw a reaction video to it. Insane little gem.
Yep it was in there. In the actual movie it was in one of the scenes where Leonard’s on the phone with Teddy explaining Sammy to Teddy.
same! I just rewatched it again just now and I never noticed it
It's super quick, too, but I caught on! I was like...????? Wait a minute?!?!?!
It's a damn shame that Teddy felt the need to manipulate Leonard. He caused his own death and the death and destruction of other lives when all he had to do was remind Lenny that he had already succeeded. But Mr Shelby also made choices.
This was my first of your videos. Look forward to watching others.
While the main story is told in reverse chronological order, the experience of the story still has a forward motion, and not just because we're naturally "moving forward" in time and so would have this experience anyway; but the tropes of noir thrillers occur when we expect them to - the girl at the beginning whom we are unsure of; the twist (in this case) that comes at end. This is too often overlooked by scholars writing about this film. The tropes occur where they traditionally occur! It's gives the film a whole new level of genius.
Wow. That IS ~phenomenal~ writing- thanks for pointing it out
Something people don’t realise is that Teddy “helping” is just him trying to get the 200k in the back of the car.
•He told Leonard to ditch the car and leave town
•He was already in the car when Leonard left Natiles’s and said lock your doors because he tried to open the boot
•He said he can get his window fixed because he wanted to get into the boot.
Excellent observation
Man watching it this way made me ask myself another question: What happens next?
Teddy was the one connection to his past and really the one that gave Lenny a purpose. Will Lenny be satisfied or fall back into his cycle of killing? How will he do it without teddy?
He killed a cop so the police will likely find him at some point.
He has license plate number tattooed to his body. He'll know he has found and killed his "John G." unless he deliberately decides to get that tattoo to be removed or smudged. He might very well do it as it gives him the only purpose left in his life.
He would just be institutionalized, like Sammy. I believe that shot in the B&W scene where sammy turns into Lenny for a split seconds is supposed to represent his future, him not having anything to fight or live for anymore, like Sammy.
@@siddharthkapoor4259 He'd need to be able to research it again and trust the results that he gets. Or maybe he leaves with the car that has the license plate, forcing him to try to step back to fact 5. There's plenty of ways that he might take the information presented to him and interpret it in a fashion which leaves him still searching.
The key is to ask what he ends up writing on that photo. He could write something like, "I got John G," but I highly doubt he will do that. After all, he could have done that with the Jimmy G. picture.
@@FernandoGonzalez-qv9hx I believe you've missed that there was actually no Sammy. The things that happen to "Sammy" and Sammy's wife, were actually the things that happened to Leonard and his wife. Part of his denial, however is putting this story on someone else, so he wouldn't remember that he was actually the one who killed his wife with an insulin overdose. It was a powerful enough event that his brain remembers it, but it slots in different individuals so he can still have his "mission" and not perpetually feel the guilt of the accident. Every so often the realization comes to the front, and the scenes that reveal that Sammy IS Leonard is shown during one of these realizations before it fades again.
Honestly, the fact that Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano, and Carrie Anne Moss didn't get an Oscar for their performances is just criminal.
No coincidence 2 of them were in this and the matrix shortly before. Trinity recommended cypher for the role of Teddy.
Don’t be so concerned with whether or not actors get Oscar’s. The actual process is kinda corrupt and all of the decisions are subjective. The Oscar’s only has as much power we give it.
Have to disagree. They are all very good, but the film is made by the screenplay.
@@slunkyjones9962 captain marvel has an Oscar and Eminem also does… I would think the most sought after award would be the SAG…
Cause it’s actors choosing themselves
Momento is good but 2000 had so many contenders for awards. It was the same year as:
• Gladiator (one of the GOATs)
• Erin Brockovich (in hindsight, Erin Brockovich is a shitty person and shouldn't have had a film made praising her)
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
• Traffic (I wasn't a fan but a lot of people liked it)
• Requiem for a Dream
• U-571
• Billy Elliot
• Almost Famous
• The Cell
• Cast Away
• O Brother, Where Art Thou?
....and that's just among Oscar nominees. There were a lot of great films in 2000 that weren't nominated, such as:
• Meet the Parents
• X-Men
• 28 Days
• The Skulls (seriously underrated. It's one of the most suspenseful thrillers of all time)
• The Boondock Saints
• The Family Man (Nick Cage's best film IMO)
• American Psycho (probably Christian Bale's best role)
• Miss Congeniality
• Remember the Titans
• Snatch (Brad Pitt could have easily been given best supporting actor)
• Pitch Black
• Titan A.E. (another underrated sci-fi film)
• Final Destination (not a fan myself. It did spawn a huge franchise, however, with a large cult following)
Where do you even try to fit Momento into all this?
One note is that he is an insurance investigator. That's the same job I have. And that job relies very heavily on people's memories and how they recall things, etc. It's easy to become cynical and believe people are just lying to you, but looking into how the brain actually works and how it creates and recalls memories, that's not always the case. They remember that the other car driving illegally on the shoulder, but when you look at the photos of the actual scene, there isn't a shoulder. It's another lane that's perfectly legal to drive on. Or they'll remember for sure they were stopped before the other car backed into them, but they weren't. Surveillance camera shows otherwise. Or swearing they didn't see the other car, so "must have been speeding." All this because people seriously don't want to believe that they aren't as good of driver as they previously thought.
Or they are trying to scam the system for free money.
@@antiquarian1773 That too. But if the person has nothing to gain from it, then it's more than likely they have reinterpreted the event as to not put themselves at fault.
Feels more tragic this way, for me. Although I haven't seen the film in a while.
Thanks for putting this together, Daniel.
Thanks for watching! And I agree, one of the core themes of a tragedy is the downfall of a heroic character through their own flaws. But in the normal edit of the film, it does such a good job of masking Leonard's flaws that it's harder to see him for who he truly is.
That was INCREDIBLY insightful. I have watched the movie chronologically before via the special edition DVD, but this supercut was very concise and your insight at the end was a new line of thinking I hadn't considered.
Liked, commented, rang the bell. Looking forward to your next video.
I really appreciate that! I did my best to give the experience of watching the full thing, but without angering the copyright system haha.
Thanks so much dude!
Such a beautifully done film. I was in a car accident that my dad didn't survive and I have a traumatic brain injury. I have short term memory loss (along with other physical and mental disabilities). I can still create new memories, but oftentimes, my memory is so bad, that I zone out to the point of partial seizures. I write down or record a LOT of things to compensate for my memory loss.
I am drawn to quantum mechanics and anything to do with time, so movies like this both bring me comfort and existential dread. Thank you for this video. It's amazing how you condensed a 2 hour movie into 20 minutes. You have a new subbie. Watch out and take care. :)
❤RIP Dad
RIP to your Pops.
Sorry for your loss man
@@vinsanity3510 Thank you, I appreciate that.
Press X to doubt.
When Memento first came out, I dragged anyone I could get to the theaters to see it. Went 6 times paying for multiple people each time. At the time I was also a video editor for my living, with a relatively early pro nonlinear editing system (this was before Final Cut had caught on). I digitized the ENTIRE movie, and re-edited it to be in chronological order. Trivial today, could do it on your phone! But at the time it was a massive undertaking and the result really blew my mind.
Wow, you added layers of meaning onto one of my favorite films of all time, bravo, great video. I always knew the ending meant that he was causing this, and that he was choosing to forget, but structuring the film like this really makes that message that much more powerful.
Thanks so much for saying so! This movie just has such a unique way of telling the story, and I couldn't help but kind of obsess about the "real" story as it were.
Memento is one of my favorite films of all time. It’s cool to see the film structured in this way. Memento is just incredible to watch and this dies add a whole new layer to it!
I always wondered why Leonard put Jimmy’s (in his mind at the time, John G’s) clothes on. What was he trying to accomplish? Was it transformative? Was it conditioned so that he could restart his quest as a different person?
bc is a cool outfit
Didn't Teddy give them to him after Leonard had forgotten?
@@mbryson2899 Leonard tells Jimmy to strip before he kills him. Jimmy attacks Leonard before completely stripping. After Leonard chokes Jimmy and snaps the photo, Leonard finishes stripping Jimmy, and puts on all of Jimmy’s clothes. All this happens before Teddy arrives.
@@notrab13 Thanks, I didn't remember that right. Now I'm wondering, too.
Oh how fickle our memories can be
you should do memento next.
🤣👍
This is my favorite film ever made and I even have the Fact 6 car license tat on my left thigh. I firmly believe Teddy was telling Lenny the truth at the end because he had no reason to lie.
Yes, of course he was telling the truth! It's the ironic twist at the end (beginning) of the movie. This character, we've been told for the whole film "don't believe his lies", only to find out Leonard wrote himself that note because Teddy had just told him the truth and he knew it. He forced his future self to distrust Teddy, bc Teddy was the only person at risk of bringing Leonard face to face with reality.
It's just so brilliant to start the story but end the movie with such a jaw dropping twist!
I have the “MEMORY IS TREACHERY” tattoo and I saw a dude with the “NEVER ANSWER THE PHONE” at the mall one day. The three of us could start a club.
@@wilhelmvg9978 bro I am getting the Never Answer the Phone tat next!! Its small print in a circle font .. I also want to get the cursive "buy film" on my abs
@@jaspbergno because Teddy was the person who kept perpetuating the killings.
The amount of times I’ve seen this movie but never realized that note was meant for Jimmy. 🤦🏻♀️
What note ?
The note from Natalie. The one on the back of the coaster that leads Leonard to the bar where he first meets Natalie. Jimmy, the guy who Leonard kills and then steals his clothes, was Natalie’s boyfriend. The note was intended for him. 8:47 - time stamp for the note.
@@RefuseToJump oh alright hey I have a question do you have any idea why teddy pretend not to know Natalie when they had Dodd captured ?
@@kervinruizfigueroa4348 I just answered it on your other comment lol
@@kervinruizfigueroa4348 because he used Lenny to kill her man and now Lenny is still looking for him, the real John G
The brilliance of this film is that, as Daniel noted, this is how *ALL* of our memories work... We see the world from our own individual perspective and project our truth onto it, very rarely stepping back to question if our perception is legitimate. I've learned more about this going through my son's spectrum disorder evaluation and its corresponding rigid / black-&-white thinking and realizing that I also share this... My life has been one focused on survival. I grew up adopting a world-view and response mechanisms based on what I needed to keep me alive... but as I've gotten older I've realized that, like this film, a lot of the truths I held onto like a life-preserver are 1-dimensional and not the full picture... This movie, along w/ The Game starring Michael Douglas and Fight Club are some of the best cinema that has come out in the past 2 decades!
you said it. we act on to the stories that the narrating part of our brains tells "us".
Spectrum thinking is the opposite of black and white thinking. The black and white thinking is a cope to deal with the absolute over abundance of stimulation that exists. Teaching a spectrum of thought to someone on the spectrum is the best skill they can have.
Brilliant video. Natalie is so much more innocent than I felt watching it.
Just watched "Momento" for the first time. This extra content is the dessert that I needed after a full course viewing. Great job!!!
There was an Easter egg on the DVD version I had that played the movie in chronological order.
Yep! Apparently not all versions of the DVD, but I feel like most probably have it.
@@daniel_netzel I think I have the widescreen Two-Disc Limited edition, it has great packaging that looks like Shelby Leonard’s medical file
Don’t lie
@@davidbutler1622 "Chronological Presentation: An illuminating re-edit of the film that allows for new appreciation for Memento's structure." www.dvdtalk.com/features/navigating_the.html
@@glxxyz liar
Leonard is a great illustration of the fallen condition of mankind.
He does not know his past.
He is a sinner through and through, but he suppresses the truth so that he can see himself as a good person.
Lukewarm take
I've always wondered how the story would flow in chronological order, and I appreciate how you've highlighted the ways that Nolan's choice of how the story is told alters that story. Very good stuff!
Memento is one of my favourite movies, but two things always bugged me... #1, when he takes a photo and writes a description about it he should also write a date and time on it, that way the pile of photos would make more sense if there was some sort of order to them. #2, he talks about his handwriting and then there a scene where he's following what someone else has written on a drinks coaster which isn't his handwriting. But that said it's been a few years since I last watched this movie, I think I'll watch it again now 🙂
He doesn't write the date because it's a deliberate form of self sabotage so he can continue on with his rampage.
Yes those two things also bugged me. There were a a few other things like that, but it’s a movie so I understand the issues. Overall a great movie
I don't understand your issue with the coaster not being in his handwriting - the note was written by Natalie and it read "come by after. Natalie"
Leonard thought the note was intended for him so that's why he went to the bar. There's no reason why he should think that note should be in his own handwriting
The one that bugs me is the tattoo "remember Sammy Jankis". I don't know how to fill in the blanks on that one
He brags about being disciplined and that's one of the lies he tells himself to maintain "sanity" and a semblance of control over his reality....The truth is he's out of control and prone to manipulation by anyone he encounters, and the most tragic story of the film is that deep down he knows this but wouldn't readily admit it. Following around clues and notes is what gives his life meaning, if he didn't have that, he's stuck remembering that his wife is dead and that he's the one responsible.
The scene that really helps to prove Leonard dose not really have a physical memory issue and proves it is in fact Psychiatric, is the hooker scene. If he cant make new memories then how could he plan to save the items, then remember where they where in his bag ,use them like that and then burn them?
Wow. Viewing it in this way turns the entire movie into a giant Rube Goldberg machine to kill Teddy. It really highlights how all of the suffering Leonard is causing other people is entirely because of him, and his refusal to deal with his trauma, instead choosing to deny it, even if it means other people will indefinitely suffer in his wake. Suddenly, whereas in the original cut Leonard comes off as a flawed but sympathetic protagonist, here he just comes off as a selfish irresponsible monster. One who makes the choice to kill the only tie he has left so that he will never be forced to face accountability for the damage he’s caused, so that he can continue causing more.
There’s still some amount of sympathy for him left, because his condition is a horrible thing to have to deal with, but god. What a contemptible human being he turned himself into.
And the scary thing is that Leonard’s flaw here is, in my opinion, the single worst thing about humans. Our instinct to let emotion override logic so that we can feel better, nevermind what damage it causes to others around us. He is humanity’s ugliest weakness dialed up to the absolute extreme. Even our perception of him in the original cut exploits that same weakness in us - we know objectively what he’s done, and we objectively acknowledge that he’s chosen to become a monster, but because we don’t FEEL that way about him, we perceive him differently. Only when presented in chronological order does it start to really sink in - not just in terms of knowing it, but feeling it.
We are our own unreliable narrators, and we can’t change that. But we can, and should, and NEED TO, manage it as best we can. Because if we don’t, we hurt others. We become monstrous.
Yeah. I remember realizing that he was enabling himself to keep on forgetting and killing targets who had nothing to do with his wife's death. One of the Many disturbing things about Memento. A brilliant movie
Absolutely phenomenal, I’m so glad you took on the challenge! Really provided additional perspective, even more than I ever expected to.
Wow this is a fantastically edited video, and it really highlights the back and forth battle between Teddy and Natalie over Leonard in a way you don't really see. Very well done!
When Leonard decided to get a tatoo of the number plate, he also made Teddy his last John G. and therefore completed his mission in a way
Why would Teddy be the last? Lenny wont stop killing until he goes back to the mental institution or gets locked up, put in a rubber room.
@@bradhirsch4845 Because only one person can have that exact plate
@@davidcankar182 He'll just remove that tattoo, probably. He cant stop because if he stops, he'll have to face what Teddy said. Lenny premeditated murdering Teddy because he does anything to avoid the truth. Plus, he already must have removed the "Ive done it." tattoo.
@@bradhirsch4845 didnt think about that
Nah he restarted the mission. He's done this probably numerous times.
Leonard becomes a serial killer with the perfect alibi: he has Anterograde Amnesia. He cannot remember all the crimes he committed. I believe he’ll continue to operate in that town or another but will eventually get caught. Teddy was covering his tracks but since Lenny killed him, the police will eventually catch up to him. There’s no way he could continue to operate like he’s been doing long term without someone helping him. Most likely he’ll end up back in a state hospital or institution.
Institution just like sammy jenkins
this was great. thought abt tracking down a chronological edit for a while, so very much appreciated. it rly does impact differently seeing it this way. cheers.
I don't agree with the theory that Teddy was telling him the truth about Leonard giving his wife insulin. Teddy constantly lies throughout the film to manipulate Lenny, and Lenny explicitly (and emotionally) recalls that he remembers so much about the world to Natalie. I believed him when he said to Teddy, "My wife wasn't diabetic. You think I don't know my own wife?" Plus, why would Lenny have to replace the insulin memory with the fake pinching memory if it happened AFTER his memory loss?
Dude, that was the best explanation video ive ever seen. Thank you so much.
I always wanted to see the film in the exact order you just edited, but i never did, and you did the hard job for me.
Thank you again
20:37 "The editing of the film wasn't just a clever way of simulating memory loss.
It's how the film crafts reality to match Leonard's inner perspective.
His truth becomes are truth."
From here onward this very good video becomes brilliant. Showing how and why Nolan choose this technique, not just as you say to dramatize the memory disorder but to put us in Leonard's head-- which we will find out is deeply disturbed.
We all engage in some softening of reality to protect our psyches.
But the more we're brave enough to try to see reality objectively--including our own flaws and culpability--the more evolved and responsible we can become.
So yes, we're all like Leonard. But we can fight to minimize our desire for self deception. Knowing we'll never fully perfect our self awareness. It will always feel easier to blame others than ourselves and sometimes we'll indulge such self delusions.
But we can resist.
Our relationships will benefit greatly if we do, imo. Untethering us from the instinct to deflect blame.
Marriages, relationships with family members, are all damaged when we fail to look for our own responsibility.
The worse the trauma, especially a trauma in which We are implicated because have done harm, the harder it will be to face the truth.
Let's hope most of us never have to face the traumatic guilt that has destroyed this character's moral compass and made him a monster.
There but for the grace of God...
Magnificent comment!
Great job! Couldn't have been handeled better. Loved your editing and analysis
Much appreciated! I'm glad you enjoyed it :D
Woah. I was not expecting this from what you teased earlier in the week but, dude, I am pleasantly surprised by this!
You and your channel have inspired my to create my own videos. I’ve started making edits and music videos but am planning an analysis on The Prestige, my second favourite Nolan film behind this one.
You done a fantastic job on this, man. Well done 🎭
That's so cool! I wish you luck with your videos!
I rarely comment on the movies analyses I watch on youtube, but i must tell this was a really interesting one! thanks for the video!
In his famous account of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides wrote that, "The people made their recollections fit their sufferings."
This was one of your best videos, and thank you for making it.
Very well done. I like the concept of the chronological order it puts a new twist on a great movie.
thank you SO MUCH!! the choice in picking out scenes was excellent, i finally did get it through. great video!
I love how at the start he seems smart and competent and as the movie goes on you slowly see how hopeless he is with the condition and how gullible it makes him.
I always saw the “ending” of the movie (him killing Teddy) as his way OUT of the loop that he is already in BECAUSE of Teddy’s manipulation.
Incredible video!! So interesting so see it the whole plot play out in real time cause just wow it changes everything. What a great movie and thanks for making a great video to go with it
Jesus! your editing is absolutely stunning, what a great video!
This was so amazing and insightful! The last commentary on the objectivity of the storyline really makes great sense. Wonderful choice of words. Great work :)
A different film when watched chronologically. The genius of Nolan.. Wouldn’t mind seeing him write an R rated low budget thriller for his next film.
Subscribed for the great editing and thoughtful commentary on one of my favorite films! :)
Loved it! I love this movie and have seen it dozens of times. I never really thought that much about Natalie's character. I never thought about what she was going through or that she might actually feel some genuine sympathy for Leonard. I just assumed that she figured out that he killed Jimmy, and then tried to get him killed after manipulating him, then had to play along after he turned out to be more effective than she gave him credit to be. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. That really does add even more depth to her character.
I owned this on VHS tape back in the blockbuster days, and all these years later I get to finally see it in order. Thank you.
The best film breakdown I’ve seen of the film. You did a phenomenal job on this video and imo your interpretation of this film is spot on.
I've watched this movie many times and what makes it brilliant is that you can't resolve because it doesn't give you enough to completely resolve it one way. I find at least 3 different explanations.
This movie is mind blowing! I'm absolutely amazed. I spent like almost 3 hrs trying to figure it out, and I did! I got it exactly like you did explain it in this edit. And I just wanted to tell you also that you made a great reconstruction, so thank you for it!
Till now I thought that Shutter Island is the best mind-blowing movie that exists, but I have to admit it: Memento is better.
Did an amazing job with that and explanations; it really did help me understand the movie 10x better. Thank you
First off - amazing work on this video. Everything from how it is built, showing the scenes and the final breakdown.
The more i think about it the more i think the movie is about the complications of people and how everybody thinks about themselves.
The tragedy is that yes - "we all lie to ourselves to be happy" - and by that, you will get what you deserve by going through this path, including the manipulation of other people.
OR... you can chose to live a life of truth, where inevitably you'll have to question yourself and your decisions... which is something we all hate doing, but it's a must!
what a life lesson !!!
Hey buddy, I watch this movie probably 10 times and your review makes me look at it in a whole new way putting all those scenes in the chronological order just changes it so much !!! When you watch it in the original form you definitely look at them as a victim and a hero, but watching it in chronological order he’s kind of a serial killer like you said!
I love how a more or less boring story told forwards is fascinating when told backwards, making it my favorite "ending" of a movie.
This is one of my favorite movies. Thank you for putting together this video, because I often wondered what it would be like, watching the movie in reverse.
Extremely well made and cohesive video. Thanks for this Daniel, can tell you put passion and hard work into this!
its amazing how a 113 min movie was just so perfectly covered in 13 mins. There are few beats I can think of that are not represented here! It makes almost makes a tight film feel flabby lol. This took a lot of attention and care! Very much appreciated!
One of the best films ever written due to how it plays out
Thank you for this montage and video essay! It really helps me better understand and appreciate Nolan's incredible work and enriches the film night experience
Thanks for this upload! I never got around to watch this in chronological order, but your edit was superb!
Great work! I really needed this. Last night, Memento was on HBO. I hadn't seen it in years, so decided to watch. The film had already started, was a few minutes in (past the "credits" and past first few scenes). And, I didn't recall the "end" of the story. Everyone should watch it this way too!
Damn, that was GREAT! And... subscribed!
Thanks Chris! I appreciate it :)
Just watched the film for the first time last night. This was a perfect companion piece. Great stuff mate🙌🏻
This was exactly what i was looking for. Gives it a new perspective and makes me want to go back. Thanks!
Very very very well done! I’m a huge fan of this movie. I literally watch it like every night after I’ve had a couple of beers. Lol. But your video was amazing. The analysis and thank you so much for putting it in chronological order and getting straight to the point. Definitely puts the movie in a different way different perspective. I love this. Thank you so much for uploading!
My pleasure, thank you for watching!
And you are so very welcome. Thank you so much like I said for posting this. What a great video
Great video it is one of you best video s actually and i hope you do more 📸
Thanks dude! I wasn't sure how it would turn out when I started, but it was certainly fun to make and I'm so glad you liked it! :D
I remember this making me so anxious.
Good work man! This is one of my favorite movies and I thought I completely understood it but you helped bring a slightly new perspective to it's overall message and theme. Thank you.
Love this movie, but I always have the same question:
How does Leonard know he has this condition?
I'm assuming there's a period of him coming to, remembering the night of the attack and looking through his notes, we just don't see it every time.
@@daniel_netzel
Nope.
I thought of that, but it doesn't work.
His condition isn't like Drew Barrymore's in 50 First Dates, where she remembers the whole day, falls asleep then forgets everything.
Leonard's short term memory vanishes after a few minutes, as demonstrated several times during the film. He would be constantly reading about his condition, forgetting, reading, forgetting, etc.
He'd never accomplish a thing.
It is answered in the movie, he remembers everything before the incident and he remembers everything after that by practising and making himself adapt
Damn, I gotta watch this again. But since the attacker didn’t kill his wife, was there an attacker? He remembers his wife dying but he killed her after he got his condition. Yeah I gotta watch it again
@@overkill666100 the attacker didn't killer her. But thr was an attacker. He also didn't kill her on purpose. Remember that insurance side story which was going on? That was actually his own life story. After the attacker went away, he started Developing his condition. Now after some events (pardon me i don't remember), good wife took the injection and wanted to see if he remembers that but since he couldn't recall that also, she realized thr life will never be like before and she went on telling him to give her the injection (and after giving he ket on forgetting again and again) and hence his wife died by overdose (kinda like suicide but by his hands) hope this helps.
This is the video everyone needs to see straight after watching Memento. You smashed it. I never understood it until you made this video
This was really illuminating! Thanks for creating it, it does give such a different perspective on the film.
This was really well done. I've seen this movie and puzzled it out but the way this is done makes it so easy to understand.
This is so eye opening! We all experience the objectivity of the world subjectively and confuse it with the real world. We like to get an answer from the world to the question we never asked it in the first place. This film clearly shows the difference between actual truth and our assumption about it. We are all Leonard in our own ways.
Wow! I love how beautifully you articulate this masterpiece in your video Daniel.
Really appreciate your work!
❤️