Memento

Deeper thoughts on Memento (click here for the review)

Memento does enough psychological damage the first time you watch it that it may seem like there is nothing else to talk about as far as the deeper meaning of it all, but we are going to try it anyway. Aside from being a confusing movie upon first viewing, Memento actually holds plenty of depth in life/moral lessons.

Below are a few points that caught my attention when watching Memento. I briefly talk about each topic, but encourage you to add your thoughts in the comments below. A movie can mean a lot of different things to different people, so I would love to read what you think about Memento.

Does vengeance matter?

Throughout Memento Leonard is seeking vengeance to make what was wrong right or to simply feel better. As Leonard gets closer and closer to solving the case and actually getting revenge, it becomes apparent that it will still not give him the one thing he truly wants; his wife back. Although it is human nature to seek vengeance when something awful happens, there is nothing to gain from finally getting it. Leonard finds this out the hard way by living it out everyday.

People lie to themselves to be happy

This one is obvious with Leonard actually saying that he lies to himself to make himself happy and give his life meaning. This is a basic instinct which Christopher Nolan is presenting to us possibly as a bad thing. For the average person it would not necessarily seem like a bad thing to lie to themselves to make them feel better, but when Leonard does it, it has grave consequences especially for Teddy. Also, remember Sammy Jenkins.


Nolan presents this to the viewers in a way which will likely not hit unless it is really thought about, but it hints that lying to yourself is not a good thing.

Finding the Purpose in Your Life

No doubt Nolan was heavily emphasizing the human need to have purpose for life. Leonard is in a situation where he feels if he does not seek vengeance for what happened he will feel as though his life has no purpose. There is a human need for purpose in life and each person has a different view of what that purpose is.

Opportunity to do the right thing

Leonard has the opportunity to do the right thing at one point in the movie even with his condition. For a moment he has figured out who Teddy is and has a choice to both spare Teddy and try to change his own life’s direction or to simply continue on the same path and take Teddy out of the equation so that he can move on. Leonard’s choice is to get rid of the person he feels is taking advantage of him in the hopes that this time he will move on with his life.


Everyone has the chance to change their own life in seemingly short windows of opportunity. Fortunately for us we have the opportunity to make the decisions again and again where as Leonard only has this one small moment of understanding which could determine the rest of his life. Nolan begs the viewer to put themselves in Leonard’s shoes when making choices in life and make sure they make the right decisions.