10 Movies That Made You Most Question Your Own Reality

2. Memento (2000)

Before the Batman trilogy was even on the cards, Christopher Nolan released Memento, the story of a man who suffers from anterograde amnesia, a condition that prevents him from storing new memories. To survive, Leonard uses a combination of tattoos, polaroids and handwritten notes to keep track of new events in his life, but can even these be trusted? Guy Pearce gives one of the best performances of his career, but what's most memorable about Memento is the unique structure Nolan uses to convey what life must really be like for someone suffering from this condition. The scenes are presented in two separate sequences, one chronological and one in reverse. By the films end, both sequences join up to create one common story. Throughout, the audience is left as much in the dark as poor Leonard, who is manipulated by those around him for their own ends. The question Memento raises is how can you believe anything to be true if you can't even trust your own mind? Not everyone has anterograde amnesia, (unless we do, but have just forgotten), but all memory is fallible regardless and it's disturbing how easily our perception of reality can be distorted through the actions of others.