Memento
Memento chronicles two separate stories of Leonard, an ex-insurance investigator who can no longer build new memories, as he attempts to find the murderer of his wife, which is the last thing he remembers. One story line moves forward in time while the other tells the story backwards revealing more each time.
Despite its limited budget of $9.0M, Memento became a commercial success, earning $40.0M worldwide—a 345% return. The film's unconventional structure resonated with audiences, demonstrating that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
Nominated for 2 Oscars. 57 wins & 59 nominations
Roger Ebert
"Memento is a movie largely about memory—the ways in which it defines identity, how it's necessary to determine moral behavior and yet how terribly vulnerable it is."Read Full Review
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Memento (2000) exhibits strategically placed narrative architecture, characteristic of Christopher Nolan's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 53 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 5.7, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Leonard Shelby
Teddy
Natalie
Sammy Jankis
Main Cast & Characters
Leonard Shelby
Played by Guy Pearce
A former insurance investigator with anterograde amnesia searching for his wife's killer using polaroids and tattoos.
Teddy
Played by Joe Pantoliano
A mysterious undercover cop who claims to be helping Leonard but whose true motives are unclear.
Natalie
Played by Carrie-Anne Moss
A bartender with her own agenda who manipulates Leonard's condition to use him for revenge.
Sammy Jankis
Played by Stephen Tobolowsky
A claimant Leonard investigated who also had memory problems, serving as a parallel to Leonard's condition.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Leonard shoots Teddy in an abandoned building. The Polaroid develops in reverse, establishing Leonard's world of fragmented memory and violent purpose.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Leonard discovers Jimmy Grantz's body in his own Polaroid, wearing his clothes. The reality that he's already killed "John G." disrupts his mission and identity.. At 10% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 25 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 22% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Leonard makes the active choice to trust Natalie despite warning signs, committing to a new "John G." hunt. He crosses into a world where he's manipulated by those he trusts., moving from reaction to action.
At 50 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 44% of the runtime—arriving early, accelerating into Act IIb complications. Notably, this crucial beat Leonard learns Natalie has been using him, removing her pen to make him forget her manipulation. False defeat: his system is failing, people are exploiting his condition, but he continues anyway., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 75 minutes (66% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Teddy reveals the devastating truth: Leonard already killed the real attacker over a year ago. His wife survived the attack but died from Leonard's insulin overdose. Sammy Jankis had no wife—Leonard is Sammy., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 80 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 71% of the runtime. Leonard makes his choice: "I'm not a killer... I'm just someone who wanted to make things right." He deliberately creates false evidence to make Teddy his next target, embracing self-deception as survival., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Memento's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Memento against these established plot points, we can identify how Christopher Nolan utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Memento within the drama genre.
Christopher Nolan's Structural Approach
Among the 11 Christopher Nolan films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.3, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Memento takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Christopher Nolan filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include After Thomas, South Pacific and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. For more Christopher Nolan analyses, see Oppenheimer, Interstellar and Dunkirk.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Leonard shoots Teddy in an abandoned building. The Polaroid develops in reverse, establishing Leonard's world of fragmented memory and violent purpose.
Theme
Teddy tells Leonard: "You don't want the truth. You make up your own truth." The theme of self-deception and the unreliability of memory is stated.
Worldbuilding
Through reverse-chronological black-and-white and color sequences, we learn Leonard's system: Polaroids, notes, tattoos. His condition of anterograde amnesia is established, along with his quest to find his wife's killer.
Disruption
Leonard discovers Jimmy Grantz's body in his own Polaroid, wearing his clothes. The reality that he's already killed "John G." disrupts his mission and identity.
Resistance
Leonard navigates between Natalie and Teddy, both claiming to help him. He debates trusting his system versus trusting people. The Sammy Jankis story serves as his guide for understanding his condition.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Leonard makes the active choice to trust Natalie despite warning signs, committing to a new "John G." hunt. He crosses into a world where he's manipulated by those he trusts.
Mirror World
Natalie becomes the Mirror World character, representing what Leonard has lost: the ability to form new relationships and trust. Their dynamic explores whether connection is possible without memory.
Premise
The "fun and games" of Leonard's detective work: following clues, interpreting tattoos, piecing together fragments. The audience experiences the promise of the premise—a backwards mystery where answers precede questions.
Midpoint
Leonard learns Natalie has been using him, removing her pen to make him forget her manipulation. False defeat: his system is failing, people are exploiting his condition, but he continues anyway.
Opposition
The truth closes in through converging timelines. Teddy's revelations increase, Leonard's certainty decreases. His flaws—rigidity, denial, need for purpose—work against him as reality fractures his constructed narrative.
Collapse
Teddy reveals the devastating truth: Leonard already killed the real attacker over a year ago. His wife survived the attack but died from Leonard's insulin overdose. Sammy Jankis had no wife—Leonard is Sammy.
Crisis
Leonard faces the dark truth: he's been lying to himself, creating false purposes, choosing victims. His entire identity is a construction. The question becomes: accept truth or continue the lie?
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Leonard makes his choice: "I'm not a killer... I'm just someone who wanted to make things right." He deliberately creates false evidence to make Teddy his next target, embracing self-deception as survival.
Synthesis
The timelines converge. Leonard executes his plan to hunt Teddy, using his condition as a weapon rather than weakness. He becomes both detective and murderer, synthesizing purpose from lies.
Transformation
Leonard drives away from Jimmy's murder, tattooing himself with clues for his next hunt. He's transformed from victim seeking truth to architect of his own reality—choosing comfortable lies over painful truth.