“I have this condition,” repeats Leonard Shelby, the main character of Memento, a film by Christopher Nolan. In the psychological thriller, Leonard suffers from an illness that does not allow him to create new memories. The condition was caused by head trauma; the result of his attempt to protect his wife from death by the thieves who broke into his house and raped his wife. He is dedicated to living his life following his memories: his photos, his notes and his tattoos. Leonard's only mission is to find and kill his wife's killer. However, his condition allows him to take revenge again and again. As a result, there is not only a barrier between Leonard and reality, but also a barrier between Leonard and understanding himself. This unsettling film is rooted in an important philosophical study of identity. How does the ability to create memories contribute to one's sense of identity? Can Leonard have an identity if he has lost this ability? These questions can be explored through the perspectives of John Locke, David Hume and Immanuel Kant. Their philosophical theories on identity and the self involve an in-depth study of the conscious mind. However, when studying only this level of self, it is difficult to argue that Leonard has an identity. Leonard's identity can be better supported if one also considers Sigmund Freud's theory of a multi-level self, which allows one to look deeper, beyond the conscious level, to what bubbles beneath . Before Freud, there was a lack of philosophical consideration for the unconscious --- the fundamental driver of our desires. However, to better examine Leonard's identity in this Freudian light, one must trace the historical progression of the study of the multilayered area...... middle of paper ......re where Leonard kills Teddy, for killing his wife or for possessing inconvenient truths, Teddy says, “then you lie to yourself to be happy. There's nothing wrong with that. We all do it. Teddy is right: we all do it. Even though Leonard's condition constitutes an additional barrier to reality, it only reinforces what is already in our human nature. According to Freud, it is human nature to protect ourselves from painful memories and feelings. Leonard's condition and his manipulation of reality plunge him into an endless cycle of denial. He will never accept what lies in his subconscious, the pain that motivates his new identity as a killer. Works Cited Chaffee, John. The Path of the Philosophers: Thinking Critically about Deep Ideas. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2012.Memento. Directed by Christophe. 2000. Santa Monica: Summit Entertainment, 2001. DVD.