How Christopher Nolan Writes Complex Timelines

Christopher Nolan's Memento (2000) is a whirlwind thriller that will be studied for decades. But what made Nolan's second film so great and how did Nolan write it? You've come to the right place.
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Memento is a 2000 American neo-noir psychological thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film's script was based on a pitch by Jonathan Nolan, who later wrote the story "Memento Mori" from the concept. It stars Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano. A man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.
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This channel is a way for me to share the best nuggets of knowledge for filmmakers I find. It's an attempt to take a look inside the greatest films and TV shows and learn from the creators themselves how they do what they do.
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Christopher Nolan interview on perceptual & character distortion in Memento (2000)
• Video
24-Minute documentary on Christopher Nolan's Memento (2000)
• Video
18-Minute Analysis By Christopher Nolan On Story & Construction Of Memento
• 18-Minute Analysis By ...
How Christopher Nolan Wrote Memento
• How Christopher Nolan ...
#filmmaking #christophernolan #thedarkknight

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Talk about Memento and filmmaking on our official Discord server: discord.gg/xxTqXXd

[@venkatemadabathuni7670]

game of thrones and sherlock

[@BehindtheCurtain]

I've actually already made a Game of Thrones video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJqUiZ58ptBrnZY Sherlock is a great suggestion!

[@Sahuagin]

The Matrix

[@aarond.ferguson2010]

Léon: The Professional would be interesting

[@mariozakall]

Star Wars (Original Trilogy), The Lord of the Rings and Raiders of the Lost Ark

[@budlombardi8893]

This channel is so crucial. You can learn endlessly more from 10 minutes of the actual creator talking about a work than 40 minutes of a KZbin rando giving half-baked takes on the same thing. Thank you for saving the day yet again.

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Thanks! I believe there's a lot of value here. I've learned a lot just making them.

[@Neimonster]

@@BehindtheCurtain Keep it up! Love it.

[@mikechoe97]

Did anyone else notice the first line we hear Nolan say at the beginning of this video is the same as the last thing he says at the end. And we hear what he was saying before that which led up to that line. This video has the same structure as the movie its talking about. Brilliant

[@BehindtheCurtain]

:)

[@classybadassary4054]

Damn how did u notice that.. had to finish the video and go back before I noticed it. It’s brilliant!

[@oliverandreasson3978]

Thinking about Chris Nolan's age makes me happy. He has a lot of time to make even more wonderful films!

[@joewas2225]

People can die at any time. Age has nothing to do with it. We've lost several that you could say what you did about Nolan. Brandon Lee, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, etc. The list goes on. I just hope you're right.

[@ivpt]

@@joewas2225 thanks for thinking about that and commenting 😃

[@SamareDoTelke]

@@joewas2225Nolan already made history still faily young unlike the list you put on

[@ramkumarsivaraman4319]

100 years later , aspiring writers and flimakers would still be studying Christopher Nolan ... Genius...

[@ytcorporate9237]

a true modern-day Kubrick.

[@getjaketospace]

When I first saw this movie I watched it three times in a week. I had never seen anything like it. And I haven't seen anything like it since. It's great to hear him talk about it like this

[@mikespearwood3914]

It's got such good re-watch value. Without this elaborate explanation from Nolan, it's hard to figure out the whole plot and connect all the dots. That's what makes it interesting.

[@torin6258]

Watch inception

[@h.ar.2937]

@@torin6258 Can't wait for Tenet!!

[@DarranKern]

@@h.ar.2937 Tenet was fun, but stupid fun. Nothing smart about it, unfortunately

[@h.ar.2937]

@@DarranKern You’re right. I consider Tenet as one of Nolan’s weaker films. Despite most people handing Insomnia that title, I think Insomnia is much better than Tenet (once you put all the fluff and puff aside)

[@scotttully8572]

For me, the genius of this film - and in general all of Nolan's films - is that he's trying to say something in film that has never been said in film before. In the case of Momento, he underlines the fact that we create drama in our lives ON PURPOSE, knowing our ability to forget that we did this to ourselves (I.e. knowing we can hide it). So what seems like a story about "Leonard the victim" reveals itself at the end to be only a story Leonard tells himself to hide the fact that he's the one who put the whole story in play. He killed his wife, he kills Teddy, and he is only able to maintain his innocence - and his story - with the creation of an elaborate distraction and selective forgetting. As the woodcutter in Rashoman realizes, we invent stories to excuse ourselves for our misbehavior... instead of telling the truth... to ourselves.

[@southpark645]

Scott Tully it’s Memento. Not momento

[@georgeboole3836]

My favorite movie of all time. Was obsessed with this, even read the script. This video should be required viewing for any Memento-heads. The diagram alone does a better job of getting me to visualize it than anything else. It also shows just how complex things really got with the narrative.

[@BehindtheCurtain]

I'm glad it was helpful! I've always found the video where he explains the timeline to be so valuable. I wanted to recreate the diagram in order to immortalize it for the digital age. Thanks for watching!

[@chrisclark5959]

What I love the most about this story is how every character is shown a certain way, then the opposite side of them is shown in a later scene(s),

[@briangrimaldi9168]

One of my favorite films ever. So endearing yet confusing until it all comes together. Thanks for this amazing analysis, subscribed!

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Awesome! I'm glad you enjoyed it, Brian. Welcome.

[@Future0Man]

Then there's that one-second shot of Leonard replacing Sammy Jankis as he waits to get a pat on the head in the hospital scene, suggesting that Leonard is faking his condition, which explains his inconsistencies.

[@forbesheaton]

There are 2 geniuses in the Nolan family. Jonathan Nolan is a genius of overall story ideas and concepts. Chris is a master filmmaker, a true genius in the art of structuring a story and executing it to film. Memento and many other Nolan films come from their incredible collaboration. What a duo. What an incredible moment in movie history we are living in!

[@batgurrl]

So cool thanks for posting this gem. Your channel is great.

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Thank you!

[@batgurrl]

Behind the Curtain you are very welcome

[@cinesheikh]

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A CHRISTOPHER NOLAN VIDEO FROM YOUR CHANNEL! THANK YOU! A part of me was hoping for you to do The Prestige since I think that's his most complex film what with the dual narrators/protagonists and cross-cutting chronology.

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Glad you liked it! Christopher Nolan doesn't do a lot of interviews, but when he does he's very thorough and in depth about his process. If I can find enough for The Prestige, I would love to do a video on it!

[@sven1530]

Love this, you make it about the writers perspective. Brilliant

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Exactly!

[@iandavies7991]

Absolute gem of a film. Pure genius

[@nak6608]

Great work man keep it up. Just linked a bunch of my friends that I know would enjoy this.

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Dude thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Sharing the videos really helps me. :)

[@mrmogford3469]

It’s quite interesting seeing a video made by some one else through the eyes of Christopher Nolan... Much like memento which is made by Nolan through the eyes of Leanord

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Hmmm, interesting comparison. Thanks for watching!

[@mrmogford3469]

Behind the Curtain my pleasure I find your set up for videos simplistic but brilliant (always great editing)-with the film makers talking about THEIR films instead of others. Keep doing what you’re doing You deserve more subs

[@dinitha11]

Underrated channel! great work, keep it up, man.

[@DanaJaneWriter]

Christopher Nolan breaks my heart with his every film. I mean, in the best way. He does it in the best way.

[@michaelc8192]

I got an Aaron Sorkin masterclass ad for this video lmao

[@pmatian]

What a genius. This film made me want to make films.

[@williambrown1448]

Would love to see and hear about perhaps Billy Wilder and The Apartment (or any other of his masterpieces). Another video that I think would be interesting is one on Damien Chazelle, or even a video on a script that had an unusual writing process, either very slow over years, or very fast (Rocky for example) or any other type of unusuality. Great video as always, I love what you’re doing, keep up the great work.

[@nightowl_9021]

Love your channel. Love the video!!!

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Thank you!

[@kankokukim]

im so glad found this channel before it becomes bigger than watchmojo -- you sir are a gift to youtube

[@BehindtheCurtain]

I'm glad you found it too! Thank you for your kind comment. :)

[@sellenjunk]

great video on a great movie. I love nolan! could you please do a video on inception?

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Possibly! I found a lot of great content for Inception as well in my research.

[@sadrahafezi8794]

thanks and put more of this videos

[@batgurrl]

Think your work is brilliant. Thanks for posting another great deep explanation of indie filmmaking. Where did Joey Pants and Guy Pierce and Carrie Ann go?😜

[@yashwanth29]

One word I can describe this man : A genius...!!!

[@ahnafdrubo9727]

Missed you mate. Great to see you pick this. Let me know if you need more suggestions

[@branscombe_]

My fav movies: 3. Requiem for a dream 2. Children Of Men 1. Memento

[@fathertedczynski]

Children of Men would be up there for me if the casting wasn't so awful. Good movie halted by bad acting imho, such a shame to see in an A-list blockbuster.

[@branscombe_]

Father Ted oh? Clive Owen was good casting. No one else

[@fathertedczynski]

@@branscombe_ Yeah that's what I thought watching it. Julianne Moore seemed like a particularly bad casting choice considering she had terrible chemistry on screen.

[@volcanosauce00]

I just finished rewatching Lady Bird and if there’s enough interview footage I’d love to see a video on it

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Ooh great recommendation! I'll look into it!

[@joewas2225]

Ok I have seen all the Tarantino & Nolan content this channel has. You need more.

[@BehindtheCurtain]

True

[@krishhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

I liked the film but I didn't know he thought so much about the film. More than the film he thought so much about human nature. This movie means so much more to me now because of this video. Thank you.

[@365expressions5]

i thought breaking bad used the time warp thing brilliantly, it always reminded me of this movie also thanks for doing this!

[@calabiyou]

Love to him him talk like this about Inception.

[@goldenhourvisuals6133]

Solid job ntrjrdn. Enjoying the videos!

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Thanks brother!

[@BEHEDETY]

Happy Birthday

[@jorgereyna1796]

Brilliant

[@lukedoyle3002]

Gaspar Noé’s ‘Irréversible’ does a similar thing with the backwards narrative a couple years after this. Very different but still another revenge film that leaves a much bleaker taste, imo

[@jon780249]

Hugely interesting. For me, still his best film.

[@NoticerOfficial]

To this day I struggle wrapping my head around how he engineered this from nothing m. As a viewer, okay. Coming up with it though. Holy shit.

[@FerHivore]

I see what you did there, ending the video with the same audio as the beginning. 😉

[@zizobriencavanough721]

probably my second favourite film ever after City of God and before the Red Turtle. I watch on average two new films a day and i still think about this film years into the future from my first viewing. Christopher Nolan is one of the only directors to remain consistent with the quality of his work from start to present.

[@sojikuriakose777]

I love this movie one of my favorite movie by nolan

[@jakenell4081]

Great work! How long does it take from start to finish to create these videos?

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Longer than I would like haha. Most of the time is spent collecting interviews, getting the best parts, and constructing them in a cohesive way. The visuals are pretty straightforward.

[@jakenell4081]

@@BehindtheCurtain They turn out great! Keep em coming

[@shreekarabhat8427]

Thank you 🙏

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Thanks for watching!

[@BrentJosephSpink]

If you'd like to watch an excellent psychological thriller that adjusts chronology as a narrative tool, watch the movie triangle

[@jacobdominguez7808]

Genius.

[@yugioh887]

Nolan's every characters motivation = dead wife

[@Sifar_Secure]

Insomnia, no. The Prestige, no. Dark Knight Trilogy, no. Inception, yes. Interstellar, hmm wife is dead but not really a motivating force. Dunkirk, no. So 2 out of 9 movies had a protagonist who was haunted by his dead wife. Makes me think it's about time he returns to the theme...

[@teddymax_]

@@Sifar_Secure Prestige - yes. Hugh Jackmans wife or g/f, I can't remember now, has died also, he blamed Bales characrer

[@DirkLuijk]

@@Sifar_Secure in The Prestige, Angier loses his wife on the stage, which is a key element in the story because this intensifies the rivalry and urge for revenge. in The Dark Knight, Bruce loses his girlfriend, which is a key element in the story because he has to deal with his guilt. So I would say at least 4 out of 9 movies. :)

[@southpark645]

Simon Farrell the prestige is very much a yes, the two main characters were friends until Jackman’s character lost his wife.

[@AbdullahKhan-hq1hk]

First of all, so what? His films turn out to be more enthralling than any other filmmakers movies out there. Secondly, I do think that yes, a love interest certainly plays a role in most his movies, and seemingly Elizabeth Debicki's character also feels like itll have such a role in Tenet. Bruce Wayne's love interest had a huge role to play in both TDK movies in the way Bruce approached his role as batman. Not necessarily dead wives, but I'd say his characters have a romantic arc that is, if not vital, then quite important to the story. That's to say the least

[@James-nv1wf]

Another interesting point-of-view film is American Psycho.

[@southpark645]

James American Psycho is like a poor man’s memento lol

[@James-nv1wf]

@@southpark645 Just pointing out how the unveiling of the plot was similarly tied to the protagonists pov, though I think AP's budget was actually higher. Aside from how Memento was told in a non-linear fashion, the story really wasn't that great.

[@southpark645]

James the story wasn’t all that great in American Psycho either, I like the movie but it’s like they couldn’t figure out how to end it so they just made the ending “the whole thing happened in his head” whereas in films like Shutter Island or Secret Window, the ending/the reveal was built up and earned and it didn’t really feel earned in AP. The story isn’t that intriguing in memento if it’s told linearly, but that’s makes memento unique is it’s non linear storytelling. Also, throughout most of the movie, you don’t realize Sammy J is Leonard either which makes it more exciting

[@kenpachi465]

I loved the movie

[@zlodrim9284]

Do Chinatown.

[@kufirst01]

Our smartphones are our short term memory banks now..

[@jaykowsh1027]

With an accent like that, Chris Nolan can say the dumbest shit and it'll sound like the most insightful thing you've ever heard.

[@gasjet2000]

From a certain point of view Memento is also a serial killer movie where the murderer and investigator are the same person. That is a cliched "psychological" plot, but the Nolan's pull it off as well as it could be done.

[@timbeaton5045]

Actually, in one sense, just like a magic trick, if you actually re-edited this movie in strict temporal sequence,* then it actually becomes a pretty simple and almost banal story, pretty much like many revenge stories that we have all seen many times before. With a twist of course, but that is also par for teh course But then that is the magic trick, here, the Prestige if you will allow me to use that term ** is that by telling the story in this particular way, is it engages us in the story by putting us in the main characters head, like almost no other movie does. We have had unreliable narrators many times in movies, and of course books, etc. (think Tristram Shandy as a prime example) because that allows the director/author to disguise their intentions and to tease us as to what will happen at the denouement. Think of American Beauty... the V/O announces pretty much from the beginning that the narrator is dead. Or D.O.A. with Dennis Quaid, and I'm sure there are other examples. The *sleight of hand* with Memento, is basically the oft repeated, but even more often ignored principle of "SHOW, don't TELL" and for me, i think that's why this movie works so well. We SEE what happens in his mind, he doesn't explain what's actually going on, as he is constantly surprised by the world, as are we.Crucially there is no need for a Voice over to explain, we are right in his world, with all it's disorientation. What voice over we do get, is also opaque. Just a master director at work, who has constantly created movies that (as Mark Kermode has often pointed out) trusts in the audience to "keep up" without resorting to Basil Exposition making his unwelcome appearances to explain all to the audience. That's one thing that a great movie (maker) compiles us to do... go back and watch it again, and again, to maybe tease out things we missed, or simply to go back and admire the craft on show. *Temporal Sequence: as I'm sure many of you know, there was a way of watching teh movie in strict sequence on the DVD and I think Blu-ray as well. Interesting to watch, but, like a Magic trick, once explained, loses it's , well, magic! **The Prestige: What's interesting is that term, from the book by Chrisopher Priest*** isn't quite the same as in the movie. And what is also intriguing, is that as Priest invented teh term for teh book, it seems to have entered teh lexicon as a term that is often used, now, in talking about stage magic. PS I don't know how many of you have seen the Prestige have actually read, the book, but i urge you to do so. Quite different in tone, in many ways to Nolan's movie, but there is a core of that book that interestingly fits in with Mementos temporal shuffling. If you do read it, you will see how the viewpoint shifts from one magician to another to produce a similar sense of disorientation.

[@oldrigenovy]

Trinity and Cypher in the same movie before the matrix.

[@BehindtheCurtain]

I never picked up on this somehow...

[@ChaosReigns45]

After..

[@foglias]

Memento was released a year after The Matrix in 2000...

[@southpark645]

Behind the Curtain you didn’t pick up on it because the Matrix actually came out before Memento did. The original comment is incorrect about Memento coming before the matrix, but he’s right about Trinity and Cypher being in the same film

[@oldrigenovy]

@@southpark645 true . I was remembering it backwards. Just like in Memento O_o

[@NoirExistence]

Far ahead of your time, sir.

[@Cody27]

Funny hearing Nolan say "hes an every man, one of us" because after his last movie he said he only caters to high end showings now. He did better work here.

[@branscombe_]

This is my all time favourite movie; I know that's a big statement... but it's true, mainly because of it's style of story telling. It's remarkable.

[@sharkk2016]

It's 2020 and Guy Pearce is still in search of the murderer.

[@Sylla402]

I still do not understand this movie, I still like it.

[@huggeebear]

"The Protagonist"....hmmmmm

[@indago1]

and they are remaking this ... oh boy, hollywood just wont stop

[@mikespearwood3914]

Nooooo….you serious?!

[@indago1]

@@mikespearwood3914 That remake of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Memento’ is still happening, but its producer insists ‘it is not really a remake’ just ‘something similar’ from metro.us so it's on

[@reptongeek]

I thought the remake got canned when it was inducted into the National Film Registry

[@cord420247]

How many movie ideas did he get from his brother lol

[@tusharg2751]

This is orginally Indian movie "Gajni" made long time ago. Search it..

[@BehindtheCurtain]

That isn't true. Aamir Khan made the film after Memento.

[@tusharg2751]

Sorry i take my word back. It was copies by South Indian film first and then Amir Khan made a remake of it for Bollywood. You are right. Sorry Nolan was not given credit anywhere. I hope he sues the producer next time maybe under copyrights or something.

[@BehindtheCurtain]

It's okay! Maybe sometime I'll watch Gajni.

[@BrentJosephSpink]

Memento in chronological order would be a great movie, and might have saved Nolan from the embarrassment of tenet. People need to stop trying so hard to be unique for the sake of unique. The dark Knight is a perfect movie. Chronological.

[@BrentJosephSpink]

The more I listen to this the more I just hear someone jerking off into the wind

[@RobertSchaefer]

Can you please do "How they wrote Avatar: The Last Airbender?"

[@PSYACTIF]

I think I am the only person who's favorite movie is Memento

[@thenewandrei4o94]

Wow you're so special for something that literally thousands, if not millions of people also can say for themselves. What a hot take!

[@ricardomonteiro2523]

Are you really going to force me to watch this movie?

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Yes. You really should.

[@georgeboole3836]

Wow I envy you.

[@Dashoost]

@@georgeboole3836 Yeah me too. that vibe off the first viewing can never be reproduced

[@NaggingShrimp]

I mean it was his brother Jonathan that wrote it but okay sure

[@BehindtheCurtain]

False.

[@simplyepic1732]

Idea bad a is anything a of structure the changing

[@BehindtheCurtain]

😎😎

[@hsantrebor]

23rd

[@georgethethird1295]

I just clicked on this clip to type how I could give a shit about how he wrote this confusing, gimmicky, unnecessary (Not the movie the backwards gimmick) waste of time called momento

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Don't forget to subscribe!

[@ricardomonteiro2523]

Frist

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Ncie

[@SadunKal]

The main idea is probably stolen from the video game Planescape Torment. Look into it the story is much more interesting actually :P

[@thenewandrei4o94]

Fuck off. Game was published in 1999, long after this was conceptualised. Just because you like something, doesn't mean it's more original

[@Astroghouls]

There was no advice about writing. This was just Nolan explaining his ideas which are cool and interesting but are abstract and not at all useful to a writer in any way. ugh... please change the title to Christopher Nolan's ideas for Memento.

[@TheJonnyEnglish]

Too bad Nolan peaked at momento. Maybe he needs to scale back his films and do things much more intimate, these big extravaganza flicks he keeps doing are good, but they’re not exciting or fresh.

[@joewas2225]

Peaked at Memento? You are full of shit. Interstellar is hands down his best movie. He made the best superhero movies to date. Not even the best Marvel movie could even touch one of the Dark Knight movies. He's the best director alive to date.