Christopher Nolan has resorted to drawing a diagram to explain his movie, Memento, but people are still struggling.
The Oppenheimer creator once drew the diagram on a chalkboard to try and help viewers get their heads around the mind-bending film.
But tbh, we're as baffled as ever. See if you can figure it out for yourself here:
Advert
The thriller was released in 2000 and it completely blew audiences away.
The movie follows Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), an insurance investigator, who suffers from amnesia and uses notes and tattoos as he tried to hunt down the man who he believes has killed his wife.
The death of his wife is the last thing that he remembers, however, and Leonard is hell bent on using his system of photographs and notes to understand what happened.
The story confused audiences at the time because it was told in reverse. Meanwhile, the fact that Leonard was suffering from amnesia while also trying to solve a murder was pretty mind boggling, too.
Advert
Hence, why Nolan tried to explain it all on a chalkboard - but it kind of makes our heads hurt.
In the video, Nolan draws what looks like a hairpin and explains how the shape represents the movie.
He begins by saying: "You have the beginning of the film here... the best way to draw it is as a hairpin, that's the end of the movie, this is the black and white stuff, this is colour, and this is running backwards.
Advert
"What we do is we cut between the two the whole way through.
"So we alternate, scene here, scene there, scene there, scene there... they meet towards the end of the film.
"But then within this you have flashbacks to a different timeline which is even earlier.
"Also within this, you have flashbacks to an earlier time... So I guess you could use the hairpin shape to represent the bulk of the film with the black and white and the colour meeting in the last reel."
Advert
Sorry, WHAT?
Nolan also directed super twisted movie Inception, whose ending has also stumped a lot of people.
In a podcast interview with Josh Horowitz on his podcast Happy Sad Confused, Nolan has explained his logic behind Inception's ending.
Advert
He said: "I went through a phase where I was asked that a lot, I think it was [producer] Emma Thomas who pointed out the correct answer, which is Leo’s character…
"The point of the shot is the character doesn’t care at that point."
The director adds: "It’s not a question I comfortably answer."
The revelation adds onto a previous interview in which he told Wired: "There is a nihilistic view of that ending, right?
Advert
"But also, he’s moved on and is with his kids. The ambiguity is not an emotional ambiguity.
"It’s an intellectual one for the audience."
Topics: Film and TV
Lucy Devine