In the film Memento, the main protagonist; Leonard Shelby, diagnosed with a memory condition, is unable to remember new information and so must progress through his life using stimulus notes he writes himself. is wife; raped and murdered by an unknown assailant he cannot remember the identity of. Discovering the person responsible becomes his drive throughout the film.
This relates to the Lacanian Psychoanalysis theory because, just as Lacan had previously suggested, Leonard feels he is missing something and achieving this seemingly impossible fantasy becomes his motivation and drive. Camera shots are frequently used to signify Leonard's state of mind as well as the use of a non-diegetic voiceover narrative. Structurally the narrative has 2 parts: B&W sequences to show the past and colour to represent the present. This would allow a Lacanian approach to be applied as it is literally being used to show a 'lack' - a memory that has to be recalled. The non-diegetic voiceover allows the viewer to get in touch with Leonard trying to remember what occurred in his past, on a daily basis.
One scene in which this is evident is when Leonard finds himself in a isolated location, prior to killing Jimmy; Natalie's drug dealer boyfriend. It is here that the film draws clear comparison to the Lacanian Psychoanalysis theory. Jimmy calls Leonard "Sammy", which causes Leonard to become suspicious. This results in Teddy telling Leonard that they killed the man he was searching for; John G, time ago, and that he has been using him to eliminate drug dealers, tricking him for financial gains, using his memory condition to 'give him a reason to live'. However, Leonard later finds out the man he is searching for, has been himself the whole time.
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