MovieChat Forums > Memento (2001) Discussion > Just watched this for the first time and...

Just watched this for the first time and I didn't really understand it

posted 7 years ago by Aarooooooon
11 replies | jump to latest

So what actually happened in this movie? Did Teddy kill his wife or was it that guy Lenny killed towards the end of the movie or what? And what's with Natalie and why was she acting so fake and at times said really rude things at Lenny and about his wife. Like I'm really confused, I thought I understood it for some time while I was watching the movie but I was always hoping that towards the end of the movie it would all come clear but then I finished watching the movie and I still don't really understand what happened?

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

To sum it up shortly, Teddy, and later Nataly are taking advantage of Leonard's condition to have people killed by him for their own benefit.

Nataly wanted him to beat her, and then use the bruises as I proof that she needed his help against her abuser by the time he had forgotten it was him.

[–] TheUltimateHippo (2250) 6 years ago

Lenny killed the other guy in the bathroom a long time ago, teddy helped him get him but Lenny didn't remember so he went out to find another John G to give his life meaning. He tricked himself into thinking John G was still out there by destroying evidence. Teddy took advantage of him and used him to kill Jimmy so he could steal his money.

[–] HarlemEagle42 (16150) 4 years ago

Basically this. On top of that, Natalie also took advantage of Lenny to get Dodd to leave town. She figured out immediately when they first met that Lenny killed Jimmy since he was driving his car and wearing his cloths. She probably hated him at first sight but learning more of his condition she felt some pity for him.

[–] hootiehome (409) 6 years ago

To answer your second question, Lenny killed his own wife by injection too much insulin. She survived the attack that took his memory. He did what Sammy Jankis did.

[–] noveltylibrary65 (200) 4 years ago

Where did you get that his wife survived? Serious question, I could have missed something in this less than linear film;)

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 4 years ago

Teddy told Lenny straight up that his wife survived the attack, the insulin story was really Lenny's, Lenny conditioned himself to believe it was Sammy Jankis's story who was a con man that Lenny investigated who didn't even have a wife. Lenny basically meshed his own story with Sammy Jankis by consistently telling himself that and by giving himself the "Remember Sammy Jankis" Tattoo. That's what he wanted to remember, not what was real.

[–] noveltylibrary65 (200) 4 years ago

thank you

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 4 years ago

Yes Lenny enjoys hunting his wife's killer, it give his life meaning which is why he destroys evidence that he killed the guy a long time ago, if he knew that he got the guy then he'd have nothing to live for. Another interesting thing about Lenny is that he can't kill anyone unless he thinks they killed his wife and that's another reason why he tricked himself into thinking Teddy was the killer: A) It would be another mystery for him to solve which he enjoys and B) He was pissed at Teddy for manipulating and using him and the only way he could bring himself to kill him is if he actually believed Teddy killed his wife.

[–] Babyfat101 (221) 5 years ago

“Like I'm really confused”

Like, maybe you shouldn’t watch films that forces you to think. Like.

[–] noveltylibrary65 (200) 4 years ago

jerk

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 4 years ago

That was beyond unnecessary.