The true chronological story of Memento

The famous 2000 film that put Christopher Nolan on the map tells the story of a man on the hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife.
Posts: 41
Joined: August 2010
There's no disputing it, this is the true chronological story of Memento.
It's written down in 3 pages (see http://cl.ly/26Vd).

If you read it, you'll see a part is missing: the part were I tell the true chronological story of Memento.
But I don't need to spell it all out for you. Instead, I give you 7 prime numbers.
These 7 prime numbers form the backbone of THE FRAME.

If you've seen the movie (twice) and thought about it a bit, THE FRAME should be self-explanatory.
But if you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer them.

If you understand THE FRAME, you will appreciate Memento even more than you already do.
It really is a genious/insane constructed movie and very funny too ("You can't waltz in here dressed like that!" - This is said to Leonard when he walks into the first bar he sees after he escapes from the third mental hospital after being raped by John G., a gay warden. You figure out what he was wearing.).

Enjoy!

A singer in a rock-and-roll band

Posts: 8
Joined: September 2010
I think you should actually explain what you are talking about intelligently and clearly and stop talking in vagueness. I sense you are just trying to get some attention.

What makes you think he had 3 hotel rooms? They say he only had 2 rooms.

Where are the references to the 3 mental hospitals?

Explain how you know about Jane G.

Explain the 3 wives or loves thing... what is this whole 1e and 2e love thing.

Are you just trying to connect the film to the short story? Is this how you get so detailed like you said that Lenny was being raped in one of the metal wards. How could you know this by just picking up hints and clues in the movie. You must be linking it to the short story (forced)

Posts: 41
Joined: August 2010
Dear kill_dano,

I've replied to another post of you (and other people). It will clarify some. But here are two more clues:

1. Re-enact the story of John G, who broke into his appartment with a second guy. If you listen carefully, you will find that the way John G tries to shake of the police ("They had all the evidence they needed. They didn't need to look for a second guy") doesn't qualify John G as an intelligent burglar. How can the died guy have hit Leonard from behind if Leonard has shot him first? "There had to be a second guy!". He is the most stupid burglar of all times (which causes Burt to die - he looks over Leonards shoulder when he tries to get him out of his room with some excuse to rob his appartment. Leonard must have seen this look of Burt (as I have) and declared Burt, a bellboy who robs his own guest, the most stupid burglar of all times).

2. Re-enact the story of Dodd. This guy just fired a shot in a car (and misses!). When he gets home he parks his car beside the car in which he just shot, but doesn't worry and goes to his appartment. There he takes a piss while somebody is having a shower two feet away from him. And still he doesn't worry! And when they drive him out of town he drives off, never to be heard of again (by the way: Leonard gets out of the car the other side he got into). That doesn't make sense either. Dodds story is as real as John Gs story. They are both an imagination of Leonard; new characters he needs to re-enact his own live into a quest for a foe. Dodd is just a collection of memories of his earlier murders, symbolizing 'the one that got away'. E.g.: Teddy 3 dies because Leonard wakes up, half drunk, on the bed after a party he and Teddy 3 had in a hotelroom after a succesfull murder (Dodd's room is occupied by two people: one drinking bear on the left cabinet, one drinking wiskey on the right cabinet). He thinks he's back in the night John G broke in. He listens at the door of the bathroom and hears Teddy 3. He is taking a piss. As this sound is clearly different from the sound of a woman taking a piss, Leonard thinks it must be John G. What other person could there be taking a piss in his house in the middle of the night? So he kicks in the door and kills him with the gun of Teddy 3 in the drawer. As this time there is nobody to 'catch' him after a murder he is arrested (again) and taken to the (second) mental hospital.

Does this (and the other replies) help you to think about the movie a bit different then you have done untill now? You must let go of all your previous assumptions to be able to understand THE FRAME.

But if you don't get THE FRAME in one go, don't worry. It took me years...

AAA
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Joined: September 2010
You have problems. Go search a doctor.

Posts: 41
Joined: August 2010
I went to the doctor and guess what he told me?
He said: Boy you better watch Memento as many times as you can
And he should know
Cause nothing compares to Memento!

(except, of course, my FRAME)

AAA
Posts: 30
Joined: September 2010
Well, if that Frame is so important, why don't show us a picture or a video of it? I have better things to do that search trough the movie for an shot, that probably doesn't exist, and when exist doesn't make any difference :!:

Posts: 8
Joined: September 2010
Erwin Fortuin, you didn't answer any of my questions lol; You just made up a bunch of shit. I don't know what movie you saw. We are talking about the Christopher Nolan film Memento here. Lol just clearing things up. Perhaps you are confusing this film with the video game Metal Gear solid 2.

Posts: 8
Joined: September 2010
http://db.tt/ZLtPLiQ

The frame. What's it mean? ... I see a question mark. Perhaps it means he doesn't have picture of her so he wrote a question mark. I don't see the significance.

Posts: 179
Joined: January 2011
Erwin Fortuin wrote:There's no disputing it, this is the true chronological story of Memento.
It's written down in 3 pages (see http://cl.ly/26Vd).

If you read it, you'll see a part is missing: the part were I tell the true chronological story of Memento.
But I don't need to spell it all out for you. Instead, I give you 7 prime numbers.
These 7 prime numbers form the backbone of THE FRAME.

If you've seen the movie (twice) and thought about it a bit, THE FRAME should be self-explanatory.
But if you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer them.

If you understand THE FRAME, you will appreciate Memento even more than you already do.
It really is a genious/insane constructed movie and very funny too ("You can't waltz in here dressed like that!" - This is said to Leonard when he walks into the first bar he sees after he escapes from the third mental hospital after being raped by John G., a gay warden. You figure out what he was wearing.).

Enjoy!

A singer in a rock-and-roll band
I've studied Memento extensively and I can say that there are things that you are correct to see the possibility of. The recreation of the crime scene by Leonard to fool his mind, the 3 female leads in the film all being incarnations of Leonard's wife is something I'm partially convinced of also.

That said, on a taking you serious note, I think you're making a mistake to assume a real story of that extensiveness is happening, for one even accepting the previous idea, Leonard did not have 3 wives, the 3 wives are simply different incarnations of the memory of his wife, which is driving his delusion.

But seriously man, your attempts to make this backstory out of making it all into an extensive narrative is downright insane, you come off as needing help. One of the murders being of a gay priest who is raping Leonard in the mental ward? There is absolutely nothing from the website short story or film that begins to present that in any way, and it makes you seem as sick as Leonard.

You've seen the events of the film with some perspective and had something in that the film we see is a delusion of Leonard's to connect different images and mementos into a narrative that justifies the more horrific truths, but you've got to stop with the absurdity of the extent to which you're replacing the narrative.

Posts: 1
Joined: August 2011
Hello, I'm new here, but I just caught up on this interesting theory. I have a couple of points I'd like to add, although I know this is a older thread.
"What makes you think he had 3 hotel rooms? They say he only had 2 rooms."
I can answer this one. There are three hotel rooms in the movie: 2 rented by Lenny, 1 was being rented by Dodd. I think the point here is how comfortable Lenny felt inside Dodd's room after Lenny forgot where he was and took a shower.
(by the way: Leonard gets out of the car the other side he got into)
I looked into this and determined it must have been an editing mistake in the movie. When you read the script it makes it clear that Lenny got into the passenger side seat. "Teddy shrugs. Leonard motions Dodd into the driver’s seat, then slides into the passenger side. They pull out of the parking lot, Teddy following in his GREY SEDAN."

However, you do make a good point about how the story of John G doesn't make sense. Although, you make some leaps to unreasonable conclusions without any solid explanations. To me, this is more evidence of manipulation, either by Teddy or more self manipulation by Lenny. How does Lenny know the cops didn't look for the second assailant? He can only know what his notes and files tell him, and we already know that the file has been tampered with (pages missing, lines crossed out).

The other points you make about Dodd not realizing Lenny was in his apartment are also interesting, however I do not have an alternative explanation for that.
One of the murders being of a gay priest who is raping Leonard in the mental ward? There is absolutely nothing from the website short story or film that begins to present that in any way, and it makes you seem as sick as Leonard.
Warden doesn't necessarily mean priest, in this context it would mean his caretaker in the mental institution. And besides the line Erwin previously provided in another thread from the movie ("If I could just reach out and touch her side of the bed I could know that it was cold, but I can’t."), I've also found a supporting quote in Memento Mori: "He reaches out for the alarm clock, but he can't move his arm." It is very odd Lenny from the movie and Earl from the story both have lines in which they claim to be unable to move. In the story, Earl is getting a tattoo, but people are not usually strapped in when they get tattoos, so why can't he move his arm? I agree though, it is a huge leap to say this implies he was raped.

In addition, I've taken a look at what Erwin calls the openingshot. It is interesting that there is a question mark and the word deleted, but I can't reach the same conclusion that this represents five friends as I can't find any evidence to support that. As that is where Lenny places the Natalie photo, it seems that Lenny had that spot prepared awaiting that photo. The area where the Teddy photo goes does not have similar box, although I did spot another editing error here. When Lenny is about to place the Teddy photo, you can clearly see that the Natalie photo has disappeared off of the wall.

My conclusion is that Natalie is special and has a more significant role then shown in the film. In movies or tv shows, when cops are creating a map of the power structure for a gang, for example, they place the gang bangers pictures on a wall and draw lines linking the members together. If there is an unknown person, like a boss, they usually draw a box with a question mark where that person would fit in the power hierarchy. You can see how this line of thought leads me to conclude Natalie is important in someway.

Overall, I prefer the more literal explanations and it seems clear to me that Lenny was responsible for the attack on his wife. There is evidence of this in both the movie and story. I'm currently unclear on all the details, but here is my theory: Lenny hired someone to kill his wife (possibly an unknown junkie, or someone connected to the movie). Unknown to Lenny, the junkie brought a partner (John G). Lenny's plan was take the hitman by surprise while he was busy attacking the wife, then finish his wife off himself. In this way, Lenny can collect the insurance money while looking like a hero. He takes his gun and shoots the assailant in the head. He then climbs on top of his wife's body and starts strangling her himself. Before he can finish off his wife, John G comes up from behind and smashes Lenny's head in.

Evidence of this is shown in the memory/flashback Lenny has while choking Jimmy, a scene is shown from the attackers perspective. When the scene showing the assault is revealed, Lenny is seen getting on top of his wife in the same position as the attacker from the strangulation memory. Also, there is a bit from the story in which Earl is giving himself a tattoo that reads: "I RAPED AND KILLED YOUR WIFE." Earl is giving himself this tattoo, so the "I" refers to himself.

I claim Lenny wanted the insurance money because it fits and that is a motive straight out of the film noir genre. When asked by Teddy where Lenny got his nice suit and car, Lenny quickly and confidently replied: "I used to work in Insurance, we were well covered."

Following this line of thought, Lenny initially wanted to kill John G, not because he raped his wife, but because he had to eliminate all loose ends so that the assault is never traced back to him. Eventually though, he may have twisted his memories into thinking it was for revenge. Just as Lenny shifted the blame for the overdose onto Sammy Jenkins, he shifted the blame for the assault onto John G. He does this around the same time he convinces himself she died during the attack, so he feels like he is chasing a murderer who outsmarted the law and escaped justice.

Phew, I know I've typed a lot here, and maybe this should have been made a new topic, but this is a good as place as any. I just watched this movie a couple of weeks ago, and it's been stuck on my mind ever since.


TLDR: Erwin Fortuin makes some interesting points, but ultimately I feel the best explanation is that Lenny hired a junkie to rape and kill his wife in an attempt to collect the insurance money.
Last edited by niken on September 1st, 2011, 2:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

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