History Film / Memento

* TheyDiedBecauseOfYou: [[spoiler:Teddy claims that the story about Sammy Jankis killing his diabetic wife by giving her too much insulin was actually Leonard protecting what he did to his own wife over on Jankins. It is ultimately left as an AmbigiousSituation though. Leonard denies that his wife was ever diabetic, and it is never answered clearly if Teddy is actually telling the truth.]]

* MurderByProxy: Leonard has anterograde amnesia which means he cannot form long term memories and can only remember things for about 5-15 minutes. Multiple characters use this to manipulate Leonard into committing crimes for them. [[spoiler:Teddy has been framing various drug dealers for being "John G", the criminal who murdered Leonard's wife. When Leonard tracks them down and kills them, Teddy steals their money. It is eventually [[HoistByHisOwnPetard turned back on Teddy himself]], who turns out to ''also'' be a "John G."; by Leonard himself laying the groundwork by leaving a note to himself that Teddy isn't trustworthy.]]

** [[spoiler:A brief flashback in the ending sequence shows Leonard in bed, with his living wife, and with an "I'VE DONE IT" tattoo on his chest. That was at some point after he killed the real John G., possibly immediately after, as in the photo Teddy has of the moment after they killed the real John G., Leonard's chest is bare in that spot. Leonard's chest is also bare in the main story we see, however, which means that at some point between killing the real John G., and the events shown in the film, Leonard had that tattoo removed.]]

** [[spoiler]]A brief flashback in the ending sequence shows Leonard in bed, with his living wife, and with an "I DID IT" tattoo on his chest. That was at some point after he killed the real John G., possibly immediately after, as in the photo Teddy has of the moment after they killed the real John G., Leonard's chest is bare in that spot. Leonard's chest is also bare in the main story we see, however, which means that at some point between killing the real John G., and the events shown in the film, Leonard had that tattoo removed.[[/spoiler]]

* AmnesiaLoop: Implied to have happened several times with Leonard. [[spoiler: Leonard is implied to have killed several people who he thought killed his wife, then destroyed the evidence of "success" after the killings, then was driven to find a killer all over again. Teddy reveals that they killed the person who broke into Leonard's house a long time ago and on top of that, its actually Leonard himself who accidentally killed her, though she's as much to blame. ]]

* OnceMoreWithClarity: Used at the end. Previous flashbacks involving [[spoiler:Sammy Jankis and Leonard's wife]] are repeated with small alterations. Well, [[AmbigiousSituation maybe]]. It isn't made totally clear whether this actually is Once More With Clarity, or if the new scenes are just as fictional as the old ones.

* MemoryWipeExploitation: Happens several times in the film. Leonard has no short-term memory, so he can only hold onto events for a few minutes at a time, then he has no idea that they happened. The landlord tricks Leonard into playing rent multiple times, Natalie [[LampshadeHanging tells him to his face]] that she's doing it, leaving him desperately searching for a pen to write that down before it fades (and fails, since Natalie was savvy enough to hide her pens beforehand).

* OnceMoreWithClarity: Used at the end. Previous flashbacks involving [[spoiler:Sammy Jankis and Leonard's wife]] are repeated with small alterations. It isn't made totally clear whether this really is Once More With Clarity, or if the new scenes are just as fictional as the old ones.

-->'''Teddy''': Take...my...pen. Write...this...down.

* TheyDiedBecauseOfYou: Leonard eventually finds out from Teddy that [[spoiler:Leonard's wife was a diabetic and that the story he made up about "Sammy Jankis" killing his wife by giving her too much insulin was actually a self-protecting projection of what he did. It is ultimately left as an AmbigiousSituation though. Leonard denies that his wife was ever diabetic, and it is never answered clearly if she actually was.]]

-->[[spoiler:Sammy didn't have a wife! It was YOUR wife who had diabetes!]]

-->'''Leonard''': When it's done, I'll know! It'll be different!
-->'''Teddy''': [[spoiler:I thought so too! I was sure you'd remember. But you ''didn't!'']]

* MemoryWipeExploitation: Happens several times in the film. Leonard has no short-term memory, so he can only hold onto events for a few minutes at a time, then he has no idea that they happened. The landlord tricks Leonard into playing rent multiple times, Natalie [[LampshadeHanging tells him to his face]] that she's doing it, leaving him desperately (and unsuccessfully) searching for a pen to write that down before it fades.

* MurderByProxy: Leonard has anterograde amnesia which means he cannot form long term memories and can only remember things for about 5-15 minutes. Multiple characters use this to manipulate Leonard into committing crimes for them. [[spoiler:Teddy has been framing various drug dealers for being "John G", the criminal who murdered Leonard's wife. When Leonard tracks them down and kills them, Teddy steals their money. It is eventually turned back on Teddy himself, who turns out to ''also'' be a "John G."; by Leonard himself laying the groundwork by leaving a note to himself that Teddy isn't trustworthy.]]