10 Movies That Were Designed To Mess With Your Head

If Christopher Nolan is famous for three things, it’s plot holes, Hans Zimmer scores, and killer movie concepts. Memento is arguably still one of his best, with an elevator pitch that pretty much promises confusion from the get-go.

Guy Pearce plays Leonard, a man who can’t recall any recent memories. This is proving to be a real nuisance, as Leonard is trying to track down his wife’s killer, with the help of a man called Teddy.

In order to retain information, Leonard tattoos vital clues on himself, and makes notes on polaroid photos, including a photo of Teddy with the caption “Don’t trust his lies” attached. Because of this (and the fact that Teddy is played by perpetual villain Joe Pantoliano), we’re completely taken in by Leonard’s version of events, which play out of sequence over the course of the film.

It’s one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it movies where anything and everything could or could not be a clue. The conclusion isn’t necessarily important. What’s important is the lengths at which the audience (and Leonard) will go to convince themselves that the story’s protagonist is right, despite the fact he’s the most unreliable narrator imaginable.