Character Relationship Map: Memento

Characters

• Leonard (played by Guy Pearce) — protagonist

  A former insurance investigator with anterograde amnesia who relies on notes, Polaroids, and tattoos to track clues and hunt for his wife's killer, John G. He ultimately discovers he has been manipula...

• Natalie (played by Carrie-Anne Moss) — protagonist

  A bartender who resents Leonard for wearing her boyfriend's clothes. She exploits his amnesia to send him away with Dodd and provides him with Teddy's full name after running a license plate check.

• Teddy (played by Joe Pantoliano) — supporting

  An undercover officer and contact who warns Leonard about Natalie. He reveals that Jimmy was actually John G, confesses to helping Leonard kill the real attacker a year ago, and admits to manipulating...

• Leonard's Wife (played by Jorja Fox) — supporting

  Leonard's wife was raped and strangled by an attacker, which caused Leonard to develop anterograde amnesia. Her murder serves as the primary motivation for his entire investigation.

• Jimmy (played by Larry Holden) — minor
• Sammy (played by Stephen Tobolowsky) — supporting

  Another anterograde amnesiac from Leonard's insurance days. His wife died from an insulin overdose caused by his condition. This story is later revealed to be a repressed memory of Leonard's own life.

• Dodd (played by Callum Keith Rennie) — supporting

  A man whom Natalie forces Leonard to drive out of town as part of her scheme to manipulate him. Teddy assists Leonard in dealing with Dodd.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Leonard's Wife → Leonard (wife)
• Leonard → Sammy (Professional Insurance Investigator And Claimant) — Leonard previously evaluated Sammy's condition and rejected his insurance claim.

  Leonard recalls Sammy from his insurance-industry days and says he investigated Sammy's anterograde amnesia claim.

• Teddy → Jimmy (Professional Informant About Target) — Teddy identifies Jimmy to Leonard as the alleged perpetrator.

  The plot states that Teddy, an undercover officer, found Leonard's John G, Jimmy, and directed Leonard to the abandoned building.

• Natalie → Jimmy (Romantic Boyfriend) — Jimmy is Natalie's boyfriend and his belongings become part of Leonard's investigation.

  The plot identifies Jimmy Grantz as Natalie's boyfriend, whose clothes Leonard wears and whose car Leonard drives.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Teddy → Natalie (Conflict Distrustful Contacts) — Both characters influence Leonard's view of the other through competing information.

  Teddy warns Leonard about Natalie, while Natalie later provides Leonard with Teddy's full name through a license-plate search.

• Teddy → Dodd (Alliance Assisting Contact) — Teddy assists Leonard during the immediate conflict involving Dodd.

  Leonard meets Teddy, who helps him deal with Dodd and warns him about Natalie.

• Natalie → Dodd (Conflict Scheme Opponents) — Natalie's plan places Leonard and Dodd in opposition for her benefit.

  Natalie exploits Leonard's condition to send him away with Dodd as part of her own scheme.

• Leonard → Dodd (Conflict Adversary) — Dodd becomes a temporary threat in the chain of manipulation surrounding Leonard.

  Natalie uses Leonard to drive Dodd out of town, and Leonard meets Teddy for help dealing with Dodd.

• Leonard → Teddy (Conflict Manipulated Investigator) — Teddy exploits Leonard's amnesia, turning their contact into a cycle of manipulation and revenge.

  Teddy admits that he has been using Leonard and reveals that Leonard can be made to restart his search because he forgets prior events.

• Leonard → Jimmy (Conflict Killer And Target) — Leonard kills Jimmy while believing he has found the man responsible for his wife's murder.

  Leonard strangles Jimmy fatally after Teddy directs him to the abandoned building. Teddy later claims Jimmy was Leonard's John G.

• Leonard → Natalie (Conflict Manipulated Associate) — Natalie uses Leonard's memory disorder for her own interests while maintaining a superficially cooperative relationship.

  Natalie resents Leonard for wearing Jimmy Grantz's clothes and driving his car. She exploits Leonard's amnesia to make him drive Dodd out of town.

Story Analysis

A man with anterograde amnesia constructs a revenge narrative and deliberately preserves it through evidence, deception, and repetition.

Plot Progression

1. Fragments of a Vengeful Mind — Leonard explains his anterograde amnesia and reconstructs the attack that killed his wife. His notes, photographs, and tattoos become substitutes for lasting memory.
2. The False Memory Trail — Leonard recalls Sammy's tragic insurance case while pursuing the unknown John G. The apparent separation between Sammy's story and Leonard's own life remains central to his investigation.
3. Allies Who Exploit Forgetting — Natalie manipulates Leonard through Dodd, while Teddy offers assistance and warnings. Conflicting clues gradually make both Natalie and Teddy part of Leonard's unstable investigation.
4. The Photograph of Jimmy — Teddy directs Leonard to an abandoned building, where Leonard kills Jimmy and records the scene with a Polaroid. Jimmy's whispered reference to Sammy introduces immediate doubt.
5. Justice Built on a Lie — Teddy reveals the real attacker's fate, his manipulation of Leonard, and the connection between Sammy's story and Leonard's guilt. Leonard knowingly creates a new false trail targeting Teddy.