Users

United States

United Kingdom

TV Series

TOPs

Awards & Festivals

About Filmaffinity

copy to clipboard

Memento

7.9

144,429

Ratings

Add to lists

where to watch

flatrate

rent

buy

ads

Pro reviews

Original title: Memento
Year: 2000
Running time: 115 min.
Country: United States
Director: Christopher Nolan
Screenwriter: Christopher Nolan (Story: Jonathan Nolan)
Music: David Julyan
Cinematography: Wally Pfister
Cast: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Stephen Tobolowsky, Harriet Sansom Harris, Jorja Fox
Producer: Newmarket, Summit Entertainment
Genre: Thriller. Mystery | Crime. Revenge. Neo-noir. Cult Movie. Independent Film (US)
Synopsis / Plot: Leonard (Guy Pearce) is an insurance investigator whose memory has been damaged following a head injury he sustained after intervening on his wife's murder. His quality of life has been severely hampered after this event, and he can now only live a comprehendable life by tattooing notes on himself and taking pictures of things with a Polaroid camera. The movie is told in forward flashes of events that are to come that compensate for his unreliable memory, during which he has liaisons with various complex characters. Leonard badly wants revenge for his wife's murder, but, as numerous characters explain, there may be little point if he won't remember it in order to provide closure for him. The movie veers between these future occurrences and a telephone conversation Leonard is having in his motel room in which he compares his current state to that of a client whose claim he once dealt with.

Awards: 2001: Academy Awards: 2 Nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing

2001: Nominated for Golden Globe: Best Screenplay

2001: Sundance Film Festival: Best Screenplay. 2 Nominations

2001: Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Screenplay

2001: American Film Institute (AFI): Top 10 Movies of the Year

2001: New York Film Critics Circle: Nominated for Best Screenplay

Show 6 more awards

2001: Critics' Choice Awards: Best Screenplay (Nolan). 2 Nominations

2001: Chicago Film Critics Awards: Best Screenplay. 2 Nominations

2001: Boston Society of Film Critics Awards: Best Screenplay. 2 Nominations

2001: Independent Spirit Awards: 5 Awards including Best Film & Best Director

2001: Directors Guild of America (DGA): Nominated for Best Director

2001: British Independent Film Awards (BIFA): Best Int. Ind. Film - English Language

Critics' reviews

"I can't remember when a movie has seemed so clever, strangely affecting and slyly funny at the very same time"

Joe Morgenstern: The Wall Street Journal
"You won't forget it (...) "Memento" doesn't just draw you into a dramatic mystery, it makes you aware of human mystery"

Desson Thomson: The Washington Post
"'Memento' is a thriller for people who are sick of thrillers, a puzzle movie in which the puzzle is actually worth the time and effort to solve"

Marc Caro: Chicago Tribune
"'Memento' is a diabolical and absorbing experience (...) It's uncanny in evoking a state of mind (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: rogerebert.com
"A bravura tribute to the spirit of 'Point Blank' (...) 'Memento' deconstructs time and space with Einstein-caliber dexterity in the service of a delectably disturbing tale of revenge"

Lisa Nesselson: Variety
"One of the most original and ultimately confounding mind games to reach the screen since 'The Usual Suspects' (...) The movie is totally absorbing"

Jack Mathews: New York Daily News
"Though 'Memento' is impressive, it doesn't in the end leave much of an impression. Like a day in Leonard's life, it slips easily from memory, favoring sensation over insight"

A. O. Scott: The New York Times
Show 3 more reviews

Movie Soulmates' ratings: Register so you can access movie recommendations tailored to your movie taste.
Friends' ratings: Register so you can check out ratings by your friends, family members, and like-minded members of the FA community.

Ranking Lists Position

1 Movies with Skillful Editing (108)
2 My Top 10 Movies from 2000 (762)
3 My Favorite Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Movies (620)
3 The Weirdest Movies I Have Ever Watched (339)
3 Movies with Great Screenplays (184)
3 Movies I Like But Wouldn't Recommend to Everyone (97)
5 Movies I Liked More the Second Time I Watched Them (79)
6 My Favorite Cult Classics (469)
6 Most Original Movie Posters Ever (13)
8 Movies with the Best Endings (415)
9 Best Movie Posters of the 2000s (9)
11 My Top 20 Movies from the 2000s (399)
11 Little Gems: Little Known Movies I've Discovered (121)
14 Movies I Want to Own (163)
17 Weird Films I Actually Love - Not Everybody's Thing (19)
23 My 10 favorite Film Directors and my favorite movie of each one of them (151)
26 My 10 favorite active Film Directors and my favorite movie of each one of them (15)
27 Best Directed Movies (47)
28 Absolute Musts (35)
29 Movies with the Best Beginnings (not including opening credits) (49)
36 My Favorite Movies (4408)
43 Underrated Movies (61)
52 Movies I Own (1213)
55 Movies I Want to Watch (old releases) (3216)
61 Overrated Movies (120)
66 Best Movie Posters Ever (My Favorite Posters) (23)
84 Movies with the Best Opening Credits (7)
95 My Top 10 Movies from 2001 (15)
97 Movies I Have Seen A Billion Times (84)

Show 29 lists

Is the synopsis/plot summary missing? Do you want to report a spoiler, error or omission? Please send us a message.
If you are not a registered user please send us an email to info@filmaffinity.com

All copyrighted material (movie posters, DVD covers, stills, trailers) and trademarks belong to their respective producers and/or distributors.

For US ratings information please visit: www.mpaa.org www.filmratings.com www.parentalguide.org