Memento is a remarkably layered, psychological-puzzle film that explores the narrative possibilities of noir, turning its detective into a surrogate for the spectator while forcing the audience to embark on the same kind of sleuthing its main character is involved in. Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) is a former insurance investigator who since his wife's rape and apparent murder has suffered from a condition that renders him unable to form new memories. Despite his affliction, he's vowed to find his wife's killer and keeps track of his search with scribbled notes, Polaroids, clues tattooed on his body, and sheaves of documents. But as the film progresses everything Leonard holds as fact is undermined in a heart-pounding narrative that will keep audiences guessing until the final reel-and beyond.
Also contained in this volume is the screenplay for Following, Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed debut. The film follows an aspiring writer who finds an unlikely ally in a burglar who claims he breaks into houses only to experience other people's lives.