Remember Sammy Jankis

Rating: 9/10 (15 July 2014)

Christopher Nolan's Memento is a great exercise for our concentration and perceptions while watching a film, also, a proof of his geniality. I only wish we had more films like this among "mainstream" cinema, not only huge budget action flicks. This film is one of a kind, one that actually makes you think outside the box, even after it's over, producing waves that go a long way. It's also that kind of movie that, every time you watch it, there's something new to discover. The great special thing about it is the reversed order of events, meant to make us feel as disoriented as Leonard. We are dared to put the pieces together and try to make some sense out of that fragmented story, but easy answers are never given.
As always happens to great movies like this, lots of theories surround what is supposed to be the "truth". But, similar to real life, there simply isn't one and only truth, there are points of view, and our own choices. As for Lenny's story, we have some facts (but even facts can turn into memories, if we dig deep enough), and what was once taken as a central belief can be twisted upside down.
To me, one of the great things about it is the final monologue, showing how much of what we tell ourselves can be a most conventional lie. We lie to ourselves not only for our own benefit over others, but especially in order to survive. To survive a truth that is so much greater than us that it contains the power to annihilate our existence. And if we believe what Teddy says to Lenny in the final (but first) scene, we may have a lot figured out about what Lenny is all about. I chose to believe that interpretation, but of course, the discussion is never over. Doubts always remain, and in a story as rich as this, anything is possible.