Memoir of a Murderer (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

After leaving his life as an assassin, Byeong-soo developed a disturbing philosophy that certain people are fated for extinction. He began secretly killing individuals he deemed worthy of death and buried them in a concealed bamboo grove, a location that became his personal graveyard and a symbolic reflection of his dark relationship with death.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Byeong-soo's obsession with mortality and his belief in predetermined death hint at his willingness to play judge and executioner.

• bamboo grove
• serial killer
• Byeong-soo murders
• extinction belief

Byeong-soo develops a degenerative form of Alzheimer's disease after being involved in a devastating car accident. This progressive illness progressively blurs the line between reality and his fractured memories, making it difficult for him to remember even basic details like his address, and causing him to question whether his violent memories are real or products of his deteriorating mind.

Foreshadowing: His frequent episodes of confusion and getting lost, including wandering into a police station, establish early on that his memory is becoming unreliable.

• Alzheimer's
• memory loss
• car accident
• dementia
• Byeong-soo condition

Min Tae-joo is the actual serial killer responsible for murdering the two young women in town. He targets Byeong-soo because he discovered Byeong-soo's secret bamboo grove killings and uses this information to manipulate and frame him. Tae-joo is a psychopathic killer who enjoys toying with his victims, and he chooses Byeong-soo specifically to create a twisted game where he can escape justice by pinning the crimes on someone else.

Foreshadowing: Tae-joo's interest in Byeong-soo's poetic views on murder during poetry class hints at his awareness of Byeong-soo's dark past.

• Min Tae-joo
• serial killer
• murderer
• frame
• psychopathic

After confronting Byeong-soo in his bedroom, Min Tae-joo reveals he has tampered with evidence and threatens to harm Eun-hee unless Byeong-soo confesses to the murders. Tae-joo's plan is to escape accountability for his own crimes by framing a man with a history of violence and Alzheimer's, knowing the police would readily believe the confessions of a confused ex-assassin.

Foreshadowing: The anonymous tip Byeong-soo sends to police about the bloody bag inadvertently draws attention to himself, making him an easy target for framing.

• frame job
• false confession
• evidence tampering
• Tae-joo plan

Throughout the film, Byeong-soo struggles with painful memories about his estranged wife, who suggested that Eun-hee might not be his biological child. This uncertainty haunts him, especially as his memories deteriorate. The film leaves this question somewhat ambiguous, but it adds to Byeong-soo's psychological torment and his fear of losing his family.

Foreshadowing: The revelation about his wife's comments surfaces during his most vulnerable moments, coinciding with his deepest identity crisis.

• Eun-hee
• biological daughter
• paternity
• estranged wife
• family secret

Eun-hee gives Byeong-soo a recorder to document his daily experiences because she wants to help him preserve his fading memories as his Alzheimer's progresses. He uses it to create a memoir, recording his jumbled thoughts and reflections, which becomes both a coping mechanism and crucial evidence when he accidentally captures Min Tae-joo's confession during one of their confrontations.

Foreshadowing: The recorder serves dual purposes: helping Byeong-soo hold onto his identity while also becoming the tool that ultimately proves his innocence.

• recorder
• memoir
• memory document
• Eun-hee
• evidence

After Byeong-soo is tranquilized and nearly killed by Min Tae-joo, he wakes up desperate to protect Eun-hee from the killer. He sends her to stay with his sister Maria at a convent, believing the secluded location and his sister's protection will keep her safe from Tae-joo's revenge.

Foreshadowing: Earlier references to Maria and the convent establish this as a place of safety, making it the logical choice when Byeong-soo's options narrow.

• convent
• Maria
• Eun-hee protection
• safe house

Min Tae-joo is killed during the final confrontation at the isolated cabin when Byeong-soo and Eun-hee overpower him. However, the ending includes a chilling twist: in the final scene, Byeong-soo looks at a locket with Tae-joo's photograph and realizes the killer may still be alive, suggesting his earlier victory was incomplete or that Tae-joo has survived.

Foreshadowing: The ominous final line 'Never trust your memories, for Min Tae-joo remains very much alive' directly signals that the danger is not over.

• Tae-joo death
• final scene
• locket
• survival
• ending twist

The film reveals that Byeong-soo's estranged wife is dead, and her remains are discovered in the bamboo grove along with the other victims. This horrific discovery ties his past violence directly to his family, adding devastating weight to the narrative when Eun-hee learns her mother's remains were among those found.

Foreshadowing: The tension between Byeong-soo and his wife, combined with his history of violence, makes this revelation tragically inevitable.

• wife death
• remains
• bamboo grove
• Eun-hee mother
• discovery

In the final scene, Byeong-soo stands at a train tunnel holding a locket containing Min Tae-joo's photograph, implying the photograph may be of someone Tae-joo loved or represented something significant. The haunting realization that Tae-joo is 'very much alive' suggests the killer either survived their encounter or has a deeper connection to Byeong-soo's past, leaving the door open for future danger while emphasizing the film's theme that memories cannot be trusted.

Foreshadowing: The entire narrative has been built on unreliable memory due to Byeong-soo's Alzheimer's, making the final warning about trusting memories the thematic culmination of the film.

• final scene
• locket
• train tunnel
• ending meaning
• unreliable memory