Memento

Leonard Shelby:
You know, I can remember so much. The feel of the world... her.

Leonard Shelby:
She's gone. And the present is trivia, which I scribble down as f***ing notes.

Natalie:
What's the last thing that you do remember?

Leonard Shelby:
My wife...

Natalie:
That's sweet.

Leonard Shelby:
...dying.

Leonard Shelby:
Now... where was I?

Leonard Shelby:
I meet Sammy through work. Insurance. I was an investagator. I'd investigate the claims to see which ones were phony. I had to see through people's bullshit. It was useful experience, 'cause now it's my life

Burt Hadley:
Oh sh*t. This is the wrong room. You're in 304 now. I'm sorry. I f***ed up.

Leonard Shelby:
This is not my room?

Burt Hadley:
No, come on, let's go.

Leonard Shelby:
Why is this my handwriting?

Burt Hadley:
...This was your room, but now you're in 304.

Leonard Shelby:
When was I in here?

Burt Hadley:
Last week. But then I rented you another room on top of it.

Leonard Shelby:
Why?

Burt Hadley:
Business is slow. I mean, I told my boss about the - your condition and stuff, and he said try and rent him another room.

Leonard Shelby:
So how many rooms am I checked into in this sh*t-hole?

Burt Hadley:
Just two, so far.

Leonard Shelby:
Well, at least you're being honest about ripping me off.

Burt Hadley:
Well, you're not gonna remember anyway.

Leonard Shelby:
You don't have to be *that* honest, Burt.

Burt Hadley:
Leonard, always get a receipt.

Leonard Shelby:
That's good advice. I'll have to write that down.

Leonard Shelby:
I always thought the joy of reading a book is not knowing what happens next.

Leonard Shelby:
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.

Leonard Shelby:
I have to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe that my actions still have meaning, even if I can't remember them. I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still there. Do I believe the world's still there? Is it still out there?... Yeah. We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different.

Leonard Shelby:
I was the only guy who disagreed with the cops - and I had brain damage.

Leonard Shelby:
We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different.

Leonard Shelby:
Facts, not memories. That's how you investigate. I know, it's what I used to do.

Leonard Shelby:
I don't even know how long she's been gone. It's like I've woken up in bed and she's not here... because she's gone to the bathroom or something. But somehow, I know she's never gonna come back to bed. If I could just... reach over and touch... her side of the bed, I would know that it was cold, but I can't. I know I can't have her back... but I don't want to wake up in the morning, thinking she's still here. I lie here not knowing... how long I've been alone. So how... how can I heal? How am I supposed to heal if I can't... feel time?

Teddy:
You don't know who you are anymore.

Leonard Shelby:
Of course I do. I'm Leonard Shelby. I'm from San Francisco.

Teddy:
No, that's who you were. Maybe it's time you started investigating yourself.

Leonard Shelby:
...who did this to you?

Dodd:
What?

Leonard Shelby:
Who did this to you?

Dodd:
You did?

Natalie:
But even if you get revenge you're not gonna remember it. You're not even going to know that it happened.

Leonard Shelby:
My wife deserves vengance. Doesn't make a difference whether I know about it. Just becuase there are things I don't remember doesn't make my actions meaningless. The world doesn't just disappear when you close your eyes, does it? Anyway, maybe I'll take a photograph to remind myself, get another freaky tattoo.

Teddy:
It's beer o'clock, and I'm buying.

Teddy:
You know, I've had more rewarding friendships than this one. Although I do get to keep telling the same jokes.

Leonard Shelby:
These tracks are just a few days old.

Teddy:
What are you, Pocahontas?

Leonard Shelby:
I don't think they'd let someone like me carry a gun.

Teddy:
I f***ing hope not.

Leonard Shelby:
Sammy Jankis wrote himself endless notes. But he'd get mixed up. I've got a more graceful solution to the memory problem. I'm disciplined and organized. I use habit and routine to make my life possible. Sammy had no drive. No reason to make it work.

Leonard Shelby:
Sammy had no drive, no reason to make it work.

Leonard Shelby:
Me? Yeah, I got a reason.

Natalie:
You know what? I think I'm gonna use you. I'm telling you now because I'll enjoy it so much more if I know that you could stop me if you weren't such a f***ing freak!

Natalie:
You sad, sad freak. I can say whatever the f*** I want, and you won't remember. We'll still be best friends. Or maybe even lovers.

Burt Hadley:
What's it like?

Leonard Shelby:
It's like waking. Like you just woke up.

Burt Hadley:
That must suck.

Natalie:
Is that what your little note says? It must be hard living your life off a couple of scraps of paper. You mix your laundry list with your grocery list you'll end up eating your underwear for breakfast.

Teddy:
Was he scared?

Leonard Shelby:
Yeah, I think it was your sinister moustache.

Teddy:
You're not a killer. That's why you're so good at it.

Leonard Shelby:
I take it I've told you about my condition.

Teddy:
Only every time I see ya.

Teddy:
Someone has to pay, Lenny. Somebody always pays.

Leonard Shelby:
There are things you know for sure.

Natalie:
Such as?

Leonard Shelby:
I know what that's going to sound like when I knock on it. I know that's what going to feel like when I pick it up. See? Certainties. It's the kind of memory that you take for granted.

Leonard Shelby:
My wife deserves revenge, whether I know about it or not.

Leonard Shelby:
Remember Sammy Jankis.

Leonard Shelby:
Beg my wife's forgiveness, before I blow

Leonard Shelby:
your brains out.

Leonard Shelby:
I have this condition.

Leonard Shelby:
Probably burned truck loads of your stuff before. Can't remember to forget you.

Leonard Shelby:
I can't remember to forget you.

Teddy:
You don't want the truth. You make up your own truth.

Sammy Jankis:
That's a test? Where were you guys when I did my CPA?

Teddy:
Ah. Lenny. That sh*t kills.

Leonard Shelby:
I'm not a killer. I'm just someone who wanted to make things right. Can't I just let myself forget what you've told me? Can't I just let myself forget what you've made me do. You think I just want another puzzle to solve? Another John G. to look for? You're John G. So you can be my John G... Will I lie to myself to be happy? In your case Teddy... yes I will.

Natalie:
You know what one of the reasons for short term memory loss is? Venereal disease. Maybe your c*nt of f***ing a wife sucked one too many diseased c*cks and turned you into a f***ing retard.

Leonard Shelby:
I've told you this before, haven't I?

Leonard Shelby:
If we talk for too long, I'll forget how we started. Next time I see you, I'm not gonna remember this conversation. I don't even know if I've met you before.

Natalie:
Get rid of Dodd for me. Kill him. I'll pay you.

Leonard Shelby:
Are you crazy? I'm not gonna kill someone for money.

Natalie:
What then? Love? What would you kill for? You'd kill for your wife, wouldn't you?

Leonard Shelby:
That's different!

Natalie:
Not to me, I wasn't f***ing married to her!

Leonard Shelby:
Hi. Uh, Lincoln Street?

Leonard Shelby:
Hang on, let me write this down.

Leonard Shelby:
Trust me, I need to write this down.

Leonard Shelby:
It's just an anonymous room. There's nothing in the drawers. But you look anyway. Nothing except the Gideon bible, which I, of course, read religiously.

Natalie:
Tell me about her again.

Leonard Shelby:
Why?

Natalie:
Because you like to remember her.

Leonard Shelby:
She was beautiful. To me, she was perfect.

Natalie:
No, don't just recite the words. Close your eyes... and remember her.

Leonard Shelby:
You can just feel the details. The bits and pieces you never bothered to put into words. And you can feel these extreme moments... even if you don't want to. You put these together, and you get the feel of a person. Enough to know how much you miss them... and how much you hate the person who took them away.

Leonard Shelby:
When I looked into his eyes I thought I saw recognition. Now I know. You fake it. If you think you're supposed to recognize somebody you, you just pretend. You bluff it to get a pat on the head from the doctors. You bluff it to seem less like a freak.

Teddy:
So you lie to yourself to be happy. There's nothing wrong with that. We all do it.

Teddy:
To set yourself a puzzle you won't ever solve. You know how many towns, how many guys called James G? Or John G? Sh*t, Leonard, I'm a John G.

Leonard Shelby:
Your name's Teddy.

Teddy:
My mother calls me Teddy. I'm John Edward Gammell.

Leonard Shelby:
I have this condition.

Teddy:
[examining Jimmy Grantz] I hope it's not as serious as this guy, because he's dead.

[Leonard opens the closet door to find a beaten and bloodied Dodd]

Leonard Shelby:
Who did this to you?

Dodd:
[puzzled] You did!

Leonard Shelby:
Am I chasing this guy? [gunshot] No, he's chasing me.

Teddy:
So you lie to yourself to be happy.

Leonard Shelby:
[Continuing Phone Conversation] I met Sammy through work. Insurance. I was an investigator. I'd investigate the claims to see which ones were phony. I had to see through people's bullshit. It was a useful experience, cause now it's my life. When I meet someone, I don't know if I've met them before. I have to just look in their eyes and try and figure them out. My job taught me the best way to find out what someone knew was just let them talk and watch the eyes...and the body language. If someone scratches their nose while they're talking, experts will tell you it means they're lying. It really means they're nervous. People get nervous for all sorts of reasons. It's all about context...Yeah, I was good. Sammy was my first real challenge. I'd just become an investigator when I came across Sammy. Mr. Samuel R. Jankis. Strangest case ever. You know the guy's a 58 year old semi-retired accountant. He and his wife had been in this car accident. Nothing too serious. But he's acting funny. He can't get a handle on what's going on. The Doctors find some possible damage to the hippocampus. Nothing conclusive, but Sammy can't remember anything for more than a couple of minutes. Can't work, Can't do sh*t. The medical bills pile up. His wife calls the insurance company, and I get sent in. Now this is my first Big claims investigation, so I really check into it. Sammy can think just fine, but he can't make any new memories. He can only remember things for a couple minutes. He'd watch TV, but anything longer than a couple of minutes was too confusing...He couldn't remember how it began. He liked commercials, they were short. The crazy part was that this guy who couldn't even follow the plot of Green Acres anymore could do the most complicated things as long as he learned them before the accident and as long as he kept his mind on what he was doing. Now the doctors assure me that there's a real condition called Anterograde Memory Loss, or short-term memory loss. It's rare, but legit. But everytime I see him I catch this look...this slight look of recognition. But he says he can't remember me at all. Now, I can read people and I'm thinking: Bad Actor. So now I'm suspicious and I order more tests. Sammy couldn't pick up any new skills at all. But I find something in my research: Conditioning. Sammy should still be able to learn through repetition. It's how you learn stuff like riding a bike. You just get better through practice. It's a completely different part of the brain from short-term memory. So I had the doctors test Sammy's response to conditioning. Some of the objects were electrified. They'd give him a small shock. They kept repeating the test always with the same objects electrified. THe point was to see if Sammy could avoid the electrified objects not by memory but by instinct. They kept testing Sammy for months, always with the same objects carrying the electrical charge. Even with total short-term memory loss, Sammy should have learned to instinctively stop picking up the wrong objects. All the previous cases responded to conditioning. Sammy didn't respond at all. It was enough to suggest that his condition was Psychological, not Physical. We turned down his claim on the grounds that he wasn't covered for mental illness. His wife got stuck with the bills, and I got a big promotion. Conditioning didn't work for Sammy, so he became helpless. But it works for me. I live the way Sammy couldn't. Habit and routine make my life possible. Conditioning. Acting on instinct. Sammy's wife was cripple by the cost of supporting him and fighting the company's decision. but it wasn't the money that got to her. I never said that Sammy was faking...Just that his problem was mental, not physical. She couldn't understand. I mean, she looks into his eyes and see the same person. If it's not a physical problem, he should just snap out of it. So good old Leonard Shelby from the insurance company gives her the seed of doubt just like he gave it to the doctors. But I never said that he was faking. I never said that. But what Mrs. Jankis didn't understand was that you can't bully someone into remembering. The more pressure you're under, the harder it gets...Uh, well, then call me...call me back? [Hangs up the phone]

Leonard Shelby:
[Phone Rings] Who is this?...Yeah, Uh-huh. Well, sir, that'd certainly be in keeping with some of my own discoveries. I was hoping for a little more on the drugs angle. Can you hang on a sec?...Now, the police report mentioned the drugs found in the card outside my house. The car was stolen, but his prints were all over it. I got friends in the department. They gave me a copy of it. I dealt with the police a lot in my insurance job. With my condition, it's really tough. I can't keep it all in mind at once. I have to summarize the different sections and there's pages missing. I guess I've been trying to log them all. I don't know why these are crossed out. But they weren't even looking for John G. THe stuff they found in the car just fit in with what they believed had happened, so they didn't chase any of it up.There's something about the drugs stashed in the car that doesn't ring true for me. Because the police claim the guy was an addict needing money to score, which I think is bullshit cause he's not gonna go breaking into places while he's still got a stash that big. Well, I think John G. left it there or planted it there...How do you know that?...Oh, sh*t, that's true. It fits. So he's a dealer. Hang on a sec. Now we're getting somewhere.

Dvd Extras:
Your life is over. You're a dead man. The only thing the doctors are hoping to do is teach you to be less of a burden to the orderlies. And they'll probably never let you go home, wherever that would be. So the question is not "to be or not to be," because you aren't. The question is whether you want to do something about it.