Memento: The Short Story Came Out After the Film.

By The Backlot

@backlotfriends

Guy Pearce holding a Polaroid photograph at arm's length while looking confused in an outdoor scene from Memento.

Memento is based on the short story "Memento Mori" by Jonathan Nolan. Except the short story wasn't published until March 2001, in Esquire. The film came out in 2000.

The two brothers developed their work simultaneously. Christopher took Jonathan's concept and built the film's backwards structure. Jonathan finished his version later, and Esquire ran it as a companion to the film. The movie got there first.

The idea started on a road trip. Jonathan joined Christopher on a drive from Chicago to Los Angeles in July 1996. He pitched the concept during the drive, based on a psychology class he was taking at Georgetown. Christopher built the screenplay from there.

Guy Pearce filmed his solo hotel room scenes at the end of the 25-day shoot, largely unscripted. People on Backlot have been revisiting this one. It's free on Tubi.

Quick Facts

Memento: The Short Story Came Out After the Film.

DirectorChristopher Nolan

CastGuy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Russ Fega

GenreMystery, Thriller

Release2000-10-11

Runtime113 min

Rated8.2/10

Instagram caption

Memento is officially based on Jonathan Nolan's short story. The story wasn't published until a year after the film. That's very Memento. #Memento #Backlot

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Memento is based on a short story that wasn't published until after the film came out. The movie got there first. #Backlot

Memento is based on the short story "Memento Mori" by Jonathan Nolan. Except the short story wasn't published until March 2001, in Esquire. The film came out in 2000.

Guy Pearce filmed his solo hotel room scenes at the end of the 25-day shoot, largely unscripted. People on Backlot have been revisiting this one. It's free on Tubi.