The Unofficial Christopher Nolan Website / Movies / Memento / Secrets - Memory is treachery

Memento Trivia:
Memory is treachery

Teddy's License Plate | The Home | Teddy's Driver License | Lenny's Wife | Mysterious Arrows

Warning:

This section contains major SPOILERS.
I do not recommend to read on if you have not seen the movie at least one time...

Note: Some of the material in this section is speculative. If you have got suggestions, correction or question post them at the Board or feel free to send me an e-mail.

Also recommended: Remember...: Analyses, Thought & Ideas; Memento Goofs? (No Goofs & Uncertain).

The License Plate

A hint by Director Nolan that Memory is unreliable and that we are dealing in this movie with an unreliable narrator. As Lenny puts it: "Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts."

But what happens is the following (in chronological order):

Teddy parks his car at the derelict building at the very end of the movie.

Lenny writes down Teddy's license plate number, but he mistakes (or does he do it on purpose?) an I for a 1.

He tattoos the wrong license plate number on his body.

When Teddy and Lenny drive Dodd out of town we see Lenny's license plate again. But now it has changed according to Leonards tattoo.

The Home

Who is in a home after his wife had been killed (under what circumstances soever)? Take a look for yourself, as you might get a glimpse (for exactly 2 frames, less than a 10th part of a second) at Lenny sitting in the home.

The Driver License

This shot shows Teddy's Driver License with it's expiry date clearly visible: 02/29/01. But the year 2001 is no leap year, thus there is no 29th day in Febuary. People could argue that this is a cassical factual error made be the person who designed Teddy's license, but why would someone choose February, 29th, (when this date only appears every 4th year) and then not check if the year was really a leap year. My conlcusion would be that this was done on purpose.

Lenny's wife

When Lenny meats Natalie in the Café and remembers his wife there is a shot of her opening her eyes. If this is played backwards it looks very much like she is going into a coma just like Sammy's wife.
At the same moment Lenny is saying (in the voice over): "...and how much you hate the person who took them away.", and is technically speaking of himself in that moment.
Take a look:
Windows AVI, DivX encoded, small version, 80kb: memento_wife_small.avi
Windows AVI, DivX encoded, big version, 229kb: memento_wife.avi

Mysterious Arrows

When Leonard says, "Now I know, you fake it" an arrow appears that points at Leonard's head. This arrow can be seen in the version that HBO showed and is inexistent in the vhs and dvd versions it is not yet known it this arrow exists in the theatrical version. I would say that this is most probably just dirt, a scratch or an error but I put the pictures up so that you can decide for yourself. This issue was brought up in an thread at the discussion board - thanks also to Gary for the screen captures.

The Inn article has moved to the Goofs? section.

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Last update: 20/07/2003