"So, where are you?" "You're in some motel room?" "You just wake up and you're in..." "in a motel room." "Here's the key." "It feels like it's the first time you're there, but perhaps you've been there for a week, three months." "It's kinda hard to say, I don't know." "It's just an anonymous room." "This guy... he's here alright." "Lenny." "It's Leonard." "Like I told you before." " Did you?" "I must've forgotten." "I've told you about my condition?" " Only every time I see you." "It's my car." " This is your car." "Oh, you're in a playful mood." "Don't make fun of my handicap." " Just trying to have a little fun." "Roll up your window." "It's broken." " I can get that fixed for you." "So, where to, Sherlock?" " I got a lead on a place." "Why the hell do you wanna go there?" " You know it?" "It's just this fucked-up building." "Why do you wanna go there?" "I don't remember." "Looks like somebody's home." " That thing's been here for years." "The tracks are only a few days old." " Tracks?" "What are you?" "Pocahontas?" "Come on." "Let's take a look inside." "'Teddy.'" "'Don't believe his lies." "He is the one." "Kill him.'" "I finally found him." "How long have I been looking?" "Find anything?" "Didn't think so." "Let's go, huh?" "Oh, fuck this." "You're gonna pay for what you did." "You beg forgiveness, then you pay." "You don't have a clue, you freak." "Beg my wife's forgiveness before I blow your brains out." "Leonard, you don't know what's going on." "You don't even know my name." " Teddy." "That's 'cause you read it off a fucking picture." "You don't know who you are." "I'm Leonard Shelby." "I'm from San Francisco." "That's who you were." "That's not what you've become." "Shut your mouth." " You want to know, Lenny?" "Come on." "Let's go down to the basement." "Let's go down, you and me, together." "Then you'll know who you really are." "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." "You know who you are, and you know kind of all about yourself." "But, just for day-to-day stuff, notes are really useful." "Sammy Jankis had the same problem, but he really had no system." "He wrote a ridiculous amount of notes but he'd get them all mixed up." "You really do need a system if if you're gonna make it work." "I'm Mr. Shelby, from 3O4." " What can I do for you, Leonard?" "Burt." "I'm not sure, I think I may have asked you to hold my calls." "You don't know?" " I'm not too good on the phone." "You said you like to look people in the eye when you talk to them." "You don't remember saying that." " Well, I have this condition." "Condition?" " It's my memory." "Amnesia?" " No, it's different from that." "I have no short-term memory." "I know who I am, I know all about myself." "I just..." "Since my injury, I can't make new memories." "Everything fades." "If we talk for too long, I forget how we started." "The next time I see you, I'm not gonna remember this conversation." "I don't even know if I've met you before." "So, if I seem a little strange, or rude or something..." "I've told you this before, haven't I?" " I don't mean to mess with you but it's so weird." "You don't remember me at all?" "We've talked a bunch of times." " I'm sure we have." "What's the last thing you remember?" " My wife." "What's it like?" "It's like waking." "It's like you just woke up." "That must suck." "That's all backwards, I mean." "You know what you want to do, but you don't remember what you just did." "I'm exactly the opposite..." "How long have I been staying here?" " Couple of days." "And you're holding my calls?" " Like you said." "Okay, but this guy is an exception." "You know this guy?" " Yeah, it's a friend, right?" "What makes you think he's my friend?" "I saw you together, that's all." " He's not my friend." "If he calls or if he shows up here, you give me a call in my room, okay?" "His name is Teddy?" " Teddy, yeah." "Alright." "Look, I hope my condition is not gonna be a problem for you." "No, not as long as you remember to pay the bill." "Yeah, okay." "4O." " 4O." "This guy... he's here alright." "Lenny." "You really need a system if you're gonna make it work." "You kinda learn to trust your handwriting." "That becomes an important part of your life." "You write yourself notes and where you put these notes, that also becomes really important." "You need a jacket with 6 pockets." "Pockets for particular things." "You just kinda learn to know where things go and how the system works." "You have to be weary of other people writing stuff for you." "That's not gonna make sense or is gonna lead you astray." "People may want to take advantage of somebody in this condition." "If you have a piece of information which is vital writing on your body instead of on a piece of paper can be the answer." "It's just a permanent way of keeping a note." "Who is this?" "'Remember Sammy Jankis.'" "Excuse me, sir." "You left these at your table." "Thanks." "Uh..." "Lincoln Street?" "Just go straight out on 6th Street, go East away from town..." "Wait, I'll write this down." " It's easy, just go straight down..." "Trust me." "I need to write this down." "Discount Inn." "Discount Inn." "Natalie." "My car." "Teddy." "John Edward Gammell." "This guy told me his name was Teddy." "'Don't believe his lies.'" "Mr. Gammell?" " Lenny, is that you?" "Lenny, it's Teddy." "Stay there, I'll be right over." "Okay." "I'll be waiting." "White and male." "First name John." "Last name 'G'." "For Gammell." "Drugs." "License plate..." "SG13 7IU." "It's him." "I found you, you fuck." "You say we talked before?" "I don't remember that." "It's not amnesia." "I remember everything up until my injury." "I can't make new memories." "So I can't remember talking to you." "What did we talk about?" "Oh, Sammy Jankis." "I talk about him to help them understand." "Sammy's story helps me understand my own situation." "Sammy wrote himself endless amounts of notes." "But he got mixed up." "I have 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." "Me?" "Yeah." "I got a reason." "'Today, 1p.m., meet Natalie for info." "She has also lost someone." "She will help you out of pity.'" "Natalie?" " You don't remember me." "I'm sorry, I should have explained." " You did explain, Lenny." "Please, call me Leonard." "My wife called me Lenny." "Yeah, I know, you told me." " So I told you how much I hated it." "You mind taking your glasses off?" "It's hard for me to..." "Thanks." "So, you have information for me?" " Is that what your little note says?" "Must be tough living a life according to a couple of scraps of paper." "Mix your laundry and your grocery list, and you eat your underwear." "I guess that's why you have those freaky tatoos." "Yeah, it's tough." "It's almost impossible." "Look, I'm sorry I don't remember you." "It's nothing personal." "I do have information for you." "You gave me a license plate number." "Had my friend at DNV trace it." "Guess what name came up?" "John Edward Gammell." "John G." "Do you know him?" " No but his face on his driver's license looked really familiar." "I think he's been in the bar, maybe." "Here's a copy of his license his registration photo and all." "Are you sure you want this?" "Have I told you what this man did?" " Yeah." "Well, you shouldn't have to ask." " But, even if you get revenge you're not gonna remember it." "You'll not even know it happened." "My wife deserves vengeance." "Doesn't make any difference if I know it." "Just because 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 tatoo." "Tell me about her again." "Why?" " Because you like to remember her." "She was beautiful." "To me, she was perfect." " Don't just recite the words." "Close your eyes and remember her." "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 we hate the person who took them away." "I..." "I added an address in here." "It might be useful." "It's an abandoned place outside of town." "A guy I knew used to do bigger deals there." "It's isolated." " Sounds perfect." "Do I owe you any...?" " No, I wasn't helping you for money." "I'm sorry." " It's okay." "You have this condition." "Still staying at the Discount Inn?" "Room 3O4?" "You left it at my place." "They're treating you okay?" " I don't remember." "You know what we have in common?" "We are both survivors." "You take care, Leonard." "'Remember Sammy Jankis.'" "I met Sammy through work." "Insurance." "I was an investigator." "I investigated the claims to see which ones were phony." "I saw through people's bullshit." "It's useful experience, 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 is let'em talk." "Watch the eyes and body language." "If they scratch their nose experts will tell you they're lying, but it 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." "Yo, Lenny." "I thought you split for good." " Well, things change." "So I see." "My name's Teddy." "I've told you about my condition?" " Only every time I see ya." "Come on, I'll buy you lunch." "Have I told you about Sammy Jankis?" " Yeah." "I'm sick of hearing about the guy." "And John G.?" "You think he's here?" "Who?" " John G., the guy you're looking for." "That's why you haven't left town." " Maybe." "Leonard, you have to be very careful." " Why?" "You mentioned somebody was trying to get you to kill the wrong guy." "Well, I go on facts, not recommendations." "But thank you." "Lenny, you can't trust a man's life to your little notes and pictures." "Why not?" " Because they can be unreliable." "Memory is unreliable." " Oh, please." "Really." "Memory is not perfect." "It's not even that good." "Ask the police." "Eyewitness testimony is unreliable." "Cops don't catch a killer remembering stuff." "They collect facts they make notes, and they draw conclusions." "Facts, not memories." "That's how you investigate." "I know, it's what I used to do." "Memory can change the shape of a room, the color of a car." "Memories can be distorted." "They're just an interpretation they're not a record." "And they're irrelevant if you have the facts." "You really want to get this guy." " He killed my wife he took away my fucking memory." "He destroyed my ability to live." "You're living." "Only for revenge." " Then, we'll get the bastard." "Where are you staying?" "At Discount Inn." "I don't know what room." "I haven't got my key." "Probably left it in your room." "Hi." "I'm checked in here, but I think I've misplaced my key." "How are you doing, Leonard?" "Probably in the room, right?" "I don't see my key anywhere." " No shit." "It's the wrong room." "You're in 3O4 now." "Sorry, I fucked up." " This is not my room?" "No." "Come on, let's go." " Then why is this my handwriting?" "This was your room, but now you're in 3O4." "When was I here?" " Last week." "But then I rented you another room." " Why?" "Business is slow, I mean, I told my boss about your condition and he said, 'try and rent him another room.'" "So how many rooms am I checked into in this shithole?" "Just two." "So far." "At least you're being honest about ripping me off." "You're not gonna remember anyway." " You don't have to be that honest." "Leonard... always get a receipt." "Oh, yeah." "I'll write that down." "Hey, what time is it?" " A quarter to one." "Your room's..." "Natalie?" " You don't remember me." "I'd just become an investigator when I came across Sammy." "Mr. Samuel R. Jankis, strangest case ever." "Now 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 possible damage to the hippocampus." "Not conclusive." "Sammy can't remember anything for more than a couple of minutes." "Can't work." "The bills pile up, his wife calls the insurance company." "And I get sent in." "It's 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 remembers for a couple minutes." " This is Mr. Shelby." "He'd watch TV, but anything longer than a couple minutes was confusing." "He liked commercials." "They were short." "Sammy, it's time for my shot." " The crazy part was that this guy, who couldn't follow the plot of Green Acres anymore could do the most complicated things as long as he'd learned them before the accident and kept his mind on it." " Gentle." "The doctors assured me that there's a real condition called... 'antero-grade memory loss', or 'short- term memory loss'." "It's rare, but legit." "Every time I see him..." "I catch this look... this slight look of recognition." "But he says he can't remember me at all." "Sammy, it's okay, I got it." "Hi, Mr. Shelby." " Nice to see you, Mrs. Jankis." "Now, I can read people, and I'm thinking:'Bad actor.'" "So now I'm suspicious, and I order more tests." "Awake." "Where am I?" "Somebody's bedroom." "Oh, must be her room." "But who's she?" "It's only me." "Did you sleep okay?" " Yeah." "You?" "Oh, shit." "Shit." "I gotta be someplace." "It's pretty weird." " It's useful." "You never write a phone number on your hand?" "I should be able to talk to my friend today about the license plate." "Yeah, the license plate." " John G.'s license plate." "You have it tattooed on your thigh." "'Natalie.'" "'She has also lost someone." "She will help you out of pity.'" "If it's registered in the State, she'll only be a couple seconds to pull up his license and registration." "I'll call you as soon as I meet him." "Could we just arrange a meeting now?" "I'm not too good on the phone." "You know, it's great that you well, that you're helping me like this." "I'm helping you because you helped me." "So, next time you see me..." "will you remember me?" "I think you will." "I'm sorry." "Lenny, before you go, could I have my shirt back, please?" "Yo, Lenny." "I thought you split for good." "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 to ride a bike." "You get better through practice." "It's a completely different part of the brain from the short-term memory." "So I had the doctors test Sammy's response to conditioning." "Just pick up any three objects." " That's a test?" "Where were you guys when I did my CPA?" "Sorry." "What the fuck?" "." " It's a test, Sammy." "Test this, you fucking quack." "Some of the objects were electrified." "They'd give him a small shock." "They kept repeating the test always with the same objects electrified." "It was to see if Sammy could learn to avoid the electrified objects not by memory, but by instinct." "Natalie, right?" "Who the fuck is Dodd?" "I won't worry about him anymore." " What the fuck have you got me into?" "Come inside." "Who is he?" " Calm down, okay?" "This is my problem, you offered to help." "It's not your investigation." "How did you get me into this?" " You offered help when you saw what he did to my face." " How do I know he did that?" "Because I came straight to you after he did it." "I asked you to help me." "And I just take your word?" " Yeah." "Something doesn't feel right." "I think someone's fucking with me." "Trying to make me kill a wrong guy." " Did you?" "What?" " Kill him." "Of course not." " Hey, sit down, okay?" "This has nothing to do with you." "You helped me out, and I'm grateful." " You have to burn them." "Leonard, you decided to help me." "Trust yourself, your own judgement." "You can question everything." "You can never know anything for sure." "There are things you know for sure." " Such as?" "I know what that's gonna sound like when I knock on it." "I know what that's gonna feel like when I pick it up." "See?" "Certainties." "It's the kind of memory you take for granted." "You know, I can remember so much." "The feel of the world..." "and her." "She's gone." "And the present is trivia which I scribble down these notes." " Come on, try and relax." "Come on." " It's not easy for me to relax." "Come on, take your jacket off." "Didn't think you were the type." "It's backwards." "Come here." "Come here." "What about here?" "Maybe it's for when I find him." "I've lost somebody too." "I'm sorry." " His name was Jimmy." "What happened to him?" " He went to meet somebody." "He never came back." "Who did he go to meet?" " A guy called Teddy." "What did the police think?" " They don't look too hard for guys like Jimmy." "When you find this guy, this..." "John G., what are you gonna do?" "I'm gonna kill him." "Maybe I can help you find him." "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 just..." "I just 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 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?" "'She has also lost someone." "She will help you out of pity.'" "They kept testing Sammy for months." "Always with the same objects carrying the electrical charge." "What the fuck?" "." " It's a test, Sammy." "Test this, you fucking quack." "Even with total short-term memory loss, Sammy should have learned to instinctively stop picking up the wrong object." "All 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 saying 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." "Awake." "Where am I?" "Motel room." "Some anonymous motel room." "Nothing in the drawers." "But I'll take a look anyway." "Nothing, except the Gideon..." "Bible." "Lenny, open up." "Just a minute." " Will you open the door?" "Lenny?" "Open the door." "Come on." "Hi, Teddy." "Finished playing with yourself, Lenny?" "Oh, I get it." "Amorous neighbors." " What are you doing here?" "You called me." "You said you needed my help." "You know, I've had more rewarding friendships than this one." "Although I do get to keep telling the same jokes." "What the fuck is that?" "Who the fuck is that?" " You don't know him?" "No." "Should I?" "Wait a minute." "Is that John G.?" "I don't think so." " You don't know?" "You wrote it down?" "Maybe I fell asleep before I did." " For Christ's sake." "Ask him." "What's your name?" "Your name?" "Dodd." " And who did this to you?" "What?" " Who did this to you?" "You did." "I'm not gonna help you kill him." " No." "Just let me think for a minute." "Okay, Natalie." "Who's Natalie?" "Natalie who?" "Why?" " Maybe I know her." "Look, we got to get him out of here." "Alright, alright." "He's got to have a car, right?" "We take him down to his car we tell him to get the fuck out of town or we're gonna kill him." "We can't just walk him out of here tied up and bleeding." "How did you get him up here?" " I don't know." "You don't know." "Yes, I do." "This is not my room." "Must be his room." "Great, let's go." "No, we can't just leave him here." " Why not?" "Because the maid's gonna walk in, see him, call the cops." "He can ID us." "We untie him, we clean him up, and we march him out of here with a gun." "A gun?" "Why would I have a gun?" "Must be his." "I don't think they'd let someone like me carry a gun." "I hope not." "Which one?" "We should probably steal his car, teach him a lesson." "Shut up." " You can say." "You have the Jaggie." "Alright." "Get in." "I'll ride with him, you follow us." " Give me the keys." "Take your own car." "So was he scared?" " It was your sinister mustache." "Fuck you." "Should've stolen his car." "What's wrong with this one?" " Nothing." "You want to trade?" "So what do you do now?" " I'll find out what was that about." "Natalie, right?" "Who the fuck is Dodd?" "Sammy's wife was crippled by the cost of supporting him and fighting the company's decision." "It wasn't the money that got to her." "I never said that Sammy was faking." "Sammy, I have an idea." "I want you to do it for me." "Just that his problem was mental, not physical." "Have a pen in your pocket, okay?" "But she couldn't understand." "I did something wrong?" " You did." "Now we'll figure it out." "We'll gonna try a little harder." "She looks into his eyes and sees the same person." "If it's not physical he should just snap out of it." "Ellen called." " Ellen called." "Ellen can't come..." " I'm sorry." "I'm so sorry." "I'm trying, I'm sorry." " Try harder." "Leonard Shelby from the insurance company gives her the seed of doubts." "Just like he gave it to the doctors." "But I never said that he was faking." "I never said that." "I don't feel drunk." "Oh, shit." " Housekeeping." "Not right now." " Oh, I'm sorry." "'Dodd." "Put him onto Teddy." "Or just get rid of him for Natalie.'" "Dodd." "Get rid of him." "Ask Natalie." "Teddy." "Yeah, leave your number." "You know what to do." "This is a message for Teddy." "I'm at the Mount crest Inn on 5th Street, room 6." "I need you to come over as soon as you get this." "It's important." "Oh, this is Leonard." "Thanks." "Bye." "Fuck." "Mrs. Jankis didn't understand you can't bully someone into remembering." "The more pressure, the harder it gets." "Call me back?" "Okay, so what am I doing?" "Well, I'm chasing this guy." "No." "He's chasing me." "Fuck." "'Dodd, white guy... he's on Mount crest Inn, on 5th Street.'" "I'll get the jump on you, you fucker." "Oh, fuck." "Sorry." "I need a weapon." "This will do." "I don't feel drunk." "Do I know this guy?" "He seems to know me." "What the fuck?" "I like your car." " Thank you." "Where did you get it?" " Are you interested in buying one?" "Have I made a strong impression?" " I wouldn't be too hard on yourself." "Okay, so what am I doing?" "Who is this?" "Cut it out." "How can you read that again?" " It's good." "You read it like a thousand times." " I enjoy it." "I thought the pleasure of a book was wanting to know what happens next." "Don't be a prick." "I'm not reading it to annoy you." "I enjoy it." "Just let me read, please?" "Probably tried this before." "Probably burned truck loads of your stuff." "Can't remember to forget you." "Well, sir." "That would certainly be in keeping with my own discoveries." "I was hoping for a little more on the drugs angle." "Can you hang on?" "The police report mentioned drugs found in the car outside my house." "Car was stolen, but the prints were all over it." "I got friends in the department." "They got me a copy of it." "In my condition it's really tough." "I can't keep it all in mind at once." "I have to summarize the sections." "And there's pages missing." "Why these are crossed out?" "But they weren't even looking for John G." "What they found in the car fit in with what they thought had happened." "So they didn't chase any of it up." "Honey?" "Honey, it's late." "Everything okay?" "You're okay in there?" "Was it good for you?" "What?" "Was I supposed to lock the door?" "I'd like you to leave now." "Something about the drugs stashed in the car doesn't ring true to me." "Because the police claimed the guy was an addict needing money to score, which I think is bullshit." "He's won't break into places while he's still got a stash that big." "I think John G. left it there..." "or planted it there." "How do you know that?" "Shit, that's true." "It fits." "So he's a dealer." "Hang on a second." "Now we're getting somewhere." "'Discount Inn.'" "Yeah, okay." "Blond is fine." "That's what they say." "At Discount Inn." "3O4." "Leonard." "Well, what then?" " We just go to bed." "You wait for me to fall asleep, go into the bathroom and slam the door." "Slam it?" " Enough to wake me up." "And that's it?" " That's it." "First, I need you to put these things around the room." "Just pretend they're your things and that this is your bedroom." "Should I wear it?" " No, no." "You know, just like you took it off or something." "I don't want you to use it." "I'm sorry." "I just mean put around the room, you know?" "As if they were your..." "your things." "Whatever gets you off." "I can't blame the cops for not taking me seriously." "It's difficult." "Look at Sammy Jankis." "His own wife couldn't deal with it." "I told you about how she tried hard." "She came to see me at the office." "I found out all kinds of shit." "She told me about life with Sammy." "How she treated him." " Thank you for seeing me." "She would get Sammy to hide food all around the house and then she'd stop feeding just to make him remember where he'd hidden the food." "She wasn't a cruel person." "She just wanted her old Sammy back." "Mr. Shelby, you know all about Sammy and you've decided that he's faking." "The company's position isn't that Sammy is faking anything." "It's just that it can't be shown..." " I just wanna know your honest opinion about Sammy." " We shouldn't even be talking while it's still open to appeal." " I'm not appealing the decision." "Then why are you here?" " When I look at Sammy, I don't see some vegetable." "I see my same old Sammy." "What do you think it is for me to think he might be imagining this problem?" "And if I say the right thing, he would snap out of it and be normal?" "If I..." "If I knew that my old Sammy were truly gone, then..." "I could say goodbye, and start loving this new Sammy." "As long as I have doubt, I can't say goodbye and move on." "What do you want from me?" " Forget the company you work for for 3O seconds, and tell me if you believe Sammy fakes his condition." "I need to know..." "what you honestly believe." "Sammy should be physically capable of making new memories." "Thank you." "I thought I helped her." "I thought she just needed some kind of answer." "It wasn't important what the answer was." "Just that she had one to believe." "A car this nice you should lock." " Who the fuck are you?" "." "Teddy, your buddy." " Prove it." "Sammy." "Remember Sammy?" "You told me about Sammy." "Jeez." " What are you doing in my car?" "What, your sense of humor went with the memory?" "Do you even know why you're here?" " Unfinished business." "Lenny, let me inform you your business here is very much finished." "You're still here for Natalie." " Who's Natalie?" "Schmuck, whose house do you think you just walked out of?" "That's right." "Take a look at your pictures." "I bet you got one of her." "Oh, nice shot, 'Leibowitz.'" "You wanna make a note:" "'You can't trust her.'" "Oh, yeah?" "Why is that?" " By now, she's taken a look at this suit, and the car, and she's starting to figure out ways to turn in the situation to her advantage." "She's already got you staying with her." "You can't go back in there." "Let me give you the name of a motel." "You're lucky I ran into you." "Broad's bad news." " What do you mean, bad news?" "She's involved with drugs." "Look." "You see these?" "This is the bar where she works." "Her boyfriend is a drug dealer." "She takes orders for him, arranges meets." "He writes messages on the back of these." "Then she slips him the answers when she serves him his drinks." "Why should I care?" " When she gets jammed up she'll use you to protect herself." " From who?" "Guys are gonna want to know what happened to her boyfriend." "Guys are gonna come after her." "Somebody's gotta pay, Lenny." "Somebody always pays." "Maybe she'll make it you." "Oh, yeah?" "Or maybe she'll make it you." "Is that it?" "You're worried that she's gonna use me against you?" "No." " Why not?" "Because she doesn't know who I am." "Why are you following me?" " Maybe I want to help." "She doesn't know anything about your investigation, okay, 'Einstein'?" "So, write this down." "When she offers to help, it'll be for her own reasons." "I'm not lying." "Take my pen." "Write this down." "'Do not trust her.'" "There." "Are you happy now?" " I won't be happy until you leave." "Why not?" "How long you can hang around before people start asking questions?" "What sort of questions?" " The same you should be asking." "Like what?" " How did you get the suit, the car?" "I have money." " From what?" "My wife's death." "I used to work in insurance." "We were well covered." "So in your grief, you wandered into a Jaguar dealership." "You don't have a clue, do you?" "You don't even know who you are." "Yes, I do." "I don't have amnesia." "I remember right until the incident." "I'm Leonard Shelby from S. Francisco." "That's who you were." "You do not know who you are." "What you've become since..." "the incident." "You wander around playing detective." "You don't even know how long ago it was." "Let me put it this way." "You wore designer suits selling insurance?" "I didn't sell, I investigated." " Right, you're an investigator." "Maybe you should start investigating yourself." "Thank you for the advice." "Look, do me a favor." "Don't go back in there." "Will you take the motel out of town?" "It's been fun, Lenny." "'Do not trust her.'" "'Don't believe his lies.'" "Fuck it." "I need my own place." "No, she shouldn't have given me that responsibility." "I'm a claims investigator, not a doctor." "Yeah, I guess." "I got all sorts of other considerations." "Legal responsibility, large financial..." "Who is this?" "Write down what happened." "Write it down." "Concentrate." "Keep it in mind." "What happened?" " What does it look like?" "He beat me." "Who?" " Who?" "." "Fuck, Leonard, Dodd." "Dodd beat the shit out of me." "Why?" " Why?" "Because of you." "I did what you told me.'Tell him about Teddy.' Great fucking idea." "Calm down." "Take it easy." "You're safe, it's okay." "Come on, just sit down." "Sit down." "Here, sit down." "Okay, you're okay." "I'll just get some ice for your face." "Here." "I did exactly what you told me to do." "I went to Dodd and I told him I didn't have any of Jimmy's money or the drugs." "And that this Teddy must've taken everything." "And what did he say?" "He didn't believe me." "He said if I don't have the drugs by tomorrow, he's gonna kill me." "And then, he just started hitting me." "Where is he?" " Why?" "I'll go see him." " And?" "I'll give him some bruises of his own and tell him to look for Teddy." "He'll kill you, Lenny." "My wife used to call me Lenny." "I hated it." "This guy is so dangerous, let's just think of something else, okay?" "No." "Just tell me what he looks like, and where I can find him." "Have you got a pen?" " In my purse." "He'll probably find you." "What do you mean?" " I told him about your car." "Why?" "He was beating the shit out of me, I had to tell him something." "Just write it all down." "Be careful." "I'll be fine." "A car this nice you should lock." " Who the fuck are you?" "." "Front desk?" "Burt, right." "This is Mr. Shelby, room 21." "Yeah, that's the thing." "I don't want any calls." "No, none at all." "What's wrong?" " Somebody's come already." "Who?" " Calls himself Dodd." "What does he want?" " To know about Jimmy and his money." "He thinks I have it, that I took it." " Did you?" "No." "What's this all about?" " Fuck." "You don't have a fucking clue?" "You're just blissfully ignorant, aren't you?" "I have this condition..." " I know about your fucking condition." "Probably more than you do." "You don't have a clue about anything else." "What happened?" " Jimmy met a guy named Teddy." "He took a lot of money with him and never came back." "Jimmy's partners think I set him up." "I don't know if you know this Teddy, or how well." "Neither do I." " Don't protect him." "Help me." "How?" " Get rid of Dodd for me." "What?" " Kill him." "I'll pay you." "What do you think I am?" "I'm not gonna kill someone for money." "What then?" "Love?" "What would you kill for?" "You'd kill for your wife?" " It's different." "Not to me." "I wasn't fucking married to her." "Don't talk about my wife." " I can talk about whoever I want." "I can say whatever I want, and you won't remember." "I can call your wife a fucking whore, and we'll still be friends." "Calm down." " Easy for you, you can't get scared." "You don't know how, you idiot." " Easy." "This has nothing to do with me." "Maybe it does." "How would you know?" "You don't know a fucking thing." "You can't get scared, but hey." "Can you get angry?" "You pathetic piece of shit." "I can say whatever the fuck I want and you won't have a fucking clue, you fucking retard." "Shut your mouth." " You know what?" "I'm gonna use you." "I'm gonna enjoy to know you could stop me if you weren't such a freak." "Did you lose your pen?" "That's too bad, freak." "Otherwise you could write a note about how much Natalie hates you that I called your wife a whore." " Don't say another fucking word." "About your whore of a wife?" "I read about your condition, Leonard." "You know what one of the causes of short-term memory loss is?" "Venereal disease." "Maybe your cunt of a fucking wife sucked one too many diseased cocks and turned you into a fucking retard." "You sad, sad freak." "I can say whatever the fuck I want... and you won't remember." "We'll still be best friends or maybe even lovers." "Fuck." "I'll see you soon." "Stay focused." "Find a pen." "Gotta write this down." "Write it down." "Concentrate, concentrate." "Keep it in mind." "Keep it in mind." "Come on, I have to find a pen." "Write this down." "Exactly what happened." "Come on, I have to find a pen, come on." "Keep focused." "Keep focused." "Keep it in mind." "Come on, find a pen." "Write this down." "Write down what happened." "Come on, concentrate." "Find a pen." "What happened?" " What does it look like?" "He beat me." "Who?" " Who?" "." "Fuck, Leonard, Dodd." "Dodd beat the shit out of me." "It's Burt, from the front desk." "I know you said you didn't want any calls." "But this guy called he says he's a cop." " A cop?" "He says you'll really wanna know what he has to say." "I'm not too good on the phone." "I need to look people in the eye." "You can... crash on the couch." "It's comfortable." "Just have a seat." "Thanks." "So how long do you think it's gonna take you?" "You told me you were looking for the guy who killed your wife." "Well, it depends, if he's here in town or if he's moved on." "I have my... file here." "Can I ask you something?" "If you have all that information then why haven't the police found him for you?" "They're not looking for him." " Why not?" "They don't think he exists." "See, I told them what I remembered." "I was asleep." "Something woke me up." "Her side of the bed was cold." "She'd been out of bed for a while." "There had to be a second man." "Somebody hit me from behind." "It's about the last thing I remember." "Look, the police did not believe me." "If we check the police..." "How do they explain what you do remember?" "The gun and stuff?" "John G. was clever." "He was clever." "He took the dead man's gun, replaced it with the sap that he hit me with." "He left my gun and the getaway car." "Gave the police a complete package." "They found the sap with my blood on it in the dead man's hand." "And they only found my gun." "They didn't need to look for anybody else." "I was the only guy who disagreed with the facts, and I had brain damage." "See, the cops are not gonna believe someone in my condition." "Leonard, you can stay here for a couple of days if it'll help you." "Thanks." " I have to go back to work." "So just make yourself at home." "You can watch TV or you have some food." "Whatever you want, okay?" "Make yourself at home." "One thing." "Something to remember you by." " My name is Natalie." "'Natalie.'" "What's wrong?" " Somebody's come already." "On the house." " Thanks." "Oh, you really do have a problem, just like that cop said." "Your condition." "Well, nobody's perfect." "What's the last thing that you do remember?" "My wife..." " That's sweet." "...dying." "I remember my wife dying." "Let me get you another one." "I think this one's dusty." "Why are you calling me?" "What do you want?" "I know you're a cop." "What do you want?" "I did something wrong?" "I don't know, something bad, maybe?" "Why are you asking?" "I can't remember, you wouldn't believe me anyway." "Because of my condition." "You don't believe someone with this condition." "Nobody believed Sammy." "I didn't even fucking believe Sammy." "'Ferdy's Bar.'" "'Come by after." "Natalie.'" "A beer, please." " What do you want?" "A beer." " You can't waltz in here dressed like that and ask for a beer." " Is there a dress code?" "Why are you here?" " I'm meeting someone called Natalie." "Well, that's me." " Yeah." "We've met before, right?" "Than why am I here?" " I don't know." "Why don't you tell me?" "I have no short-term memory." " Oh, you're the memory guy." "How do you know about me?" " My boyfriend told me about you." "Who's your boyfriend?" "Jimmy Grants." "Do you know him?" "No." "But he knows you." "He told me about you." "Said you were staying at the Discount." "In fact, a cop came by earlier, was looking for you." "He said he was looking for a guy who can't remember what he'd done." "I said I got a lot of guys around here like that." "You know chronic alcoholism is one cause of short-term memory loss?" "Are you Teddy?" " No, my name is Leonard." "Did Teddy send you?" " I don't know." "What's happened to Jimmy?" " I don't know that either." "Sorry." "You don't remember where you've been or what you've just done?" "No, I can't make new memories." "Everything just fades." "Then why did you come here?" " I found this in my pocket." "Your pocket." "Bourbon." "Gotta contribute." "No, thanks." " It's for a lot of money." "Come on." "Proceeds are going to charity." "Help me out." "Thank you." "On the house." " Thanks." "It's completely fucked, because nobody believes you." "It's amazing what a little brain damage does for your credibility." "I guess it's some kind of poetic justice for not believing Sammy." "You know the truth of my condition, officer?" "You don't know anything." "You feel angry and don't know why." "You feel guilty you have no idea why." "You could do anything and not have faintest idea 1O minutes later, like Sammy." "I didn't tell you what happened to Sammy and his wife?" "She came to my office." "I thought she was trying to catch me off guard." "I didn't tell her what I really thought." "I never said he was faking." "Just that his condition was mental, not physical." "I found out later that she went home and gave Sammy his final exam." "Sammy?" "It's time for my shot." "She knew beyond a doubt that he loved her." "So, she found a way to test him." "Sammy?" "It's time for my shot." "She thought she'd call his bluff." " Here you go." "Or she just didn't want to live with the things she put him through." "Sammy?" "It's time for my shot." "It won't hurt." "She went into a coma and never recovered." "Sammy couldn't understand or explain what happened." "He's been in a home ever since." "He doesn't know that his wife's dead." "I was wrong about Sammy." "And I was wrong about his wife." "She wasn't interested in the money." "She needed to understand his problem." "His brain didn't respond to conditioning." "He wasn't a conman." "When she looked into his eyes, she thought he could be the same person." "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 someone." "You bluff it to get a pad on the head from the doctors." "You bluff it to seem less of a freak." "What drug dealer?" "Hey, Lenny." "How ya doing?" " It's private back here." "It's okay, we know each other." " How did you know I was in here?" "The Jag is out front." "Should've put it around back." "What are you still doing here, Lenny?" "Plenty of tattoo parlors up north." "I just wanted to get something down before it slipped my mind." "Give me the keys, I'll move it." " I'll be alright for a minute." "Wait out there." " Oh, for Christ..." "Give me a minute." "I gotta get something for you." "'Fact 6." "Car license:" "SG137IU.'" "Look, wait a minute, will you?" "I gotta get you out of here." " Why?" "Come on, Leonard, how many times have I got to tell you?" "It's not safe for you to hang around here anymore." "Why not?" " Because that cop's looking for you." "Now I got to get you a new identity, some new clothes." "A different car would do for now." "So put these on." "Whoa." "What cop?" "He's a bad cop." "He's the one who checked into the Discount Inn." "He's been calling, telling you shit, slipping envelopes under your door." "How do you know this?" " He told me." "He thinks it's funny." "He's been laughing at you." " You're full of shit." "He knows you're no good on the phone, so he's been calling you up." "Sometimes you don't answer the phone, so he slips shit under the door." "Giving you a line of crap about John G. being some local drug dealer." "Jimmy Grants." "Who's Jimmy Grants?" "Jimmy is the drug dealer." "The cop wants to know how his operations run." "He's got some score in mind." "Somehow, you're involved." "How do you know him?" "I'm a snitch." "He's a cop from out of town, the local boys put us together." "If he knew I was helping you, he'd fucking kill me." "So, take these clothes, put them on and get the fuck out of here." "Come on, Leonard, just go." "You are full of shit." "'Come by after." "Natalie.'" "'Ferdy's Bar.'" "Hey, Jimmy." "I'm sorry." "I thought you were somebody else." "Sorry." "That's okay." "So this Jimmy Grants deals drugs out of the bar his girlfriend works?" "But he's not gonna bring her along." "He'll come by himself, right?" "I always figured the drugs angle to be the best way to get him." "No, officer." "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." "You're in the lobby?" "What do you look like?" "I'll be right there." "Lenny." "Officer Gammell?" "Yeah." "Come on." "Hey, smile." " Hey, don't... not here." "Over here." "Now is it officer or lieutenant Gammell?" "You know what?" "Don't write Gammell, just Teddy." "Why?" " I'm undercover." "The directions where he's going." "My number's on the bottom if you need." "You're not coming?" " No, it wouldn't be appropriate." "Nice picture." "I look thin." "Hey, Lenny." "Make him beg." "Jimmy?" "What the fuck are you doing here?" " Are you Jimmy Grants?" "Expecting any other Jimmys out here, memory man?" "Do you remember me?" "Yeah, I remember you." "Where the fuck's Teddy?" "Well?" "Motherfucker." "What the fuck are you doing?" "Strip." " You're making a big mistake, pal." "Strip." "My associates are not the kind of people you want to piss of." "Don't say anything else." " I knew I couldn't trust that fuck." "Take it off." "Cocksucker." "The pants too." "Why?" " I don't want to get blood on them." "Wait." "Did he tell you what I was bringing?" " Take your fucking pants off." "I got two hundred grand, stashed in the car." "Just take it." "You think you can bargain with me?" " Just take the money and walk away." "I don't want your fucking money." "Then what?" "What do you want from me?" " I want my fucking life back." "Sammy." "He said 'Sammy'." "How does he know about Sammy?" "Oh, fuck." "What have I done?" "I need help." "There's a guy here hurt bad." "We gotta get him to a doctor." "Alright." "I don't know what happened." "I got this memory thing." "Do I know you?" "No, don't worry." "I'm a cop." "He's still breathing?" " I don't know." "Maybe." "What the hell were you guys doing down here?" "I don't remember." "I have this condition..." "I hope it's not as serious as his, 'cause this guy's dead." "Lenny." "That shit kills." " So you remember me now, huh?" "You are a fucking cop." " Yeah, and I helped you find him." "Get up." "Get up." "Lenny, you got the wrong idea." "Who is that?" "He knew me." "Of course he did." "He raped your wife, he fucked up your brain." "Bullshit." "He's not the guy." "His name is James F. Grants." "John G. Check your tattoos." "Why was he bringing 2OO grand?" " What?" "What was it for?" " A load of amphetamines, I told him." "This is a drug deal?" " No." "Yeah, that and your thing." "Jimmy is your guy." "I just figured we could make a few dollars on the side." "How did he know me?" " The Discount Inn." "He dealt out of there." "The guy at the front desk told him." "He called him the minute he saw you taking a picture of the dump." "You're fucking using me." " No." "You get half." "He knew about Sammy." "Why would I tell him about fucking Sammy?" "You tell everybody about Sammy." "Everybody who'll listen." "'Remember Sammy Jankis?" "Remember Sammy Jankis?" "'" "The great story gets better every time you tell it." "So you lie to yourself to be happy." "It's nothing wrong." "We all do it." "Who cares if there's a few little details you'd rather not remember?" "What the fuck are you talking about?" " I don't know." "Your wife surviving the assault." "Not believing in your condition." "The torment, the pain and anguish tearing her up inside." "The insulin." "That's Sammy, not me." "I told you about Sammy." "Yeah, right." "Like you tell yourself over and over again." "'Conditioning yourself to remember.' 'Learning through repetition.'" "Sammy let his wife kill herself, and ended up in an institution." "Sammy was a con man." "A faker." "I never said that Sammy was faking." "You exposed him for what he was." "A fraud." "I was wrong, that's the whole point." "Sammy's wife came to me..." " Sammy didn't have a wife." "It was your wife who had diabetes." "My wife wasn't diabetic." " You sure?" "Ouch." "Cut it out." " She wasn't diabetic." "You think I don't know my own wife?" "What the fuck is wrong with you?" "I guess I can only make you remember the things you want to be true." "Like old Jimmy down there." " He's not the right guy." "He was to you." "Come on, you've got your revenge." "Enjoy it while you still remember." "It's indifferent if he's your guy." " It makes all the difference." "Why?" "You'll never gonna know." " Yes I will." "I will." "Somehow, I will." " You won't remember." "When it's done, it'll be different." " I thought so too, but you didn't." "That's right." "The real John G., I helped you find him over a year ago." "He's already dead." " Don't lie to me anymore." "Look, Lenny." "I was the cop assigned to your wife's case." "I believed you." "I thought you deserved the chance for revenge." "I'm the one that helped you find the other guy in your bathroom." "The guy that cracked your skull and fucked your wife." "We found him." "You killed him." "But you didn't remember." "So I helped you to start looking again..." "Looking for the guy you already killed." "Oh, yeah?" "So who was he?" " Just some guy." "Does it matter who?" "No reason, Lenny, no conspiracy." "Just bad fucking luck." "Couple of junkies too strung out to realize your wife didn't live alone." "When you killed him, I was so convinced that you'd remember." "But it didn't stick." "Like nothing ever sticks." "Like this won't stick." "I took that picture just when you did it." "Look how happy you are." "I wanted to see that face again." " Oh, Gee." "Thanks." "Fuck you." "I gave you a reason to live, and you were more than happy to help." "You don't want the truth." "You make up your own truth." "Like your police file." "It was complete when I gave it to you." "Who took out the 12 pages?" "You, probably." " No, it wasn't me." "See?" "It was you." "Why would I do that?" " Create a puzzle you can never solve." "You know how many towns, how many John G.'s or James G.'s?" "Shit, Lenny, I'm a fucking John G." " Your name's Teddy." "My mother calls me Teddy." "My name's John Edward Gammell." "Cheer up." "There's plenty of John G.'s for us to find." "All you do is moan." "I'm the one who has to live with what you've done." "I'm the one that put it all together." "You wander around playing detective." "You live in a dream, kid." "A dead wife to pine for." "A sense of purpose to your life." "A romantic quest you wouldn't end even if I wasn't in the picture." "I should kill you." " Quit it, Lenny." "Come on." "You're not a killer." "That's why you're so good at it." "Come on, what are you doing?" "You know what time it is?" "It's beer o'clock." "I'm buying." "Fuck." "I'm not a killer." "I'm just someone who wanted to make things right." "Can I just let myself forget what you've told me?" "Can I just let myself forget what you made me do?" "You think I want another puzzle to solve." "Another John G. to look for?" "You're a John G." "So, you could be my John G." "Do I lie to myself to be happy?" "In your case, Teddy yes, I will." "Hey, that's not your car." " It is now." "Jesus Christ." "You can't take it." " Why not?" "Because the guy you just killed owns it." "Somebody'll recognize it." "I think I'd rather be mistaken for a dead guy than a killer." "I might hang on to this for a while." "Lenny, look, don't let me..." "Will you help me find the keys?" "Help me find my keys." "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 here." "Do I believe the world's still here?" "Is it still out there?" "Yeah." "We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are." "I'm no different." "Now, where was I?"