Incredibly good movie

Rating: 10/10 (13 October 2002)

Warning! This contains spoilers.
Memento is, in my opinion, the best movie released in the past five years. It has vision that no movie since or before has really been able to capture. Memento is a movie about memory and how it can be manipulated and changed to fit people's desires. Lenny believes that he suffers from short-term memory loss suffered when he tried to break up an attack on his wife. But one of the main questions that the movie seems to imply is if Lenny found out about the diagnosis after the attack (after he lost his memory), how can he remember that he suffers from it? The question can not be answered without making some parts of the movie seem impossible, and that is where the true strength of the movie lies.
It is impossible to draw up a definitive theory about Memento that explains everything without making some things appear impossible. However, it is a great deal of fun to try. I've discussed this movie with friends for hours on end. Whenever we think we have it all explained, our answers just lead to more questions. This is a sort of courage that most filmmakers today do not have. Most movies end with very clear-cut endings that leave little to the imagination. Memento is about the imagination and how you remember details in the movie. It may just be me, but for some reason the backwards plot of the movie with the black-and-white cuts in between makes it impossible for me to remember details even on repeat viewings.
In my opinion, the definitive scene in the movie is not Teddy's revelations at the end, but the small scene in the coffee shop where Teddy and Lenny talk about memory. This is where the movie's themes become obvious, and also where Lenny presents some of the more intriguing philosophical questions. He argues that memory is unreliable, that it distorts facts according to what people want to see. This can be applied to how people view the movie (what facts they remember and what theories they draw up), and also to how we view life itself.
All the acting in this movie is incredible. Guy Pearce deserved an Oscar nomination for his portrayel of the confused Lenny, and the Teddy actor was perfect for the part.
This is a movie that I've seen a dozen times and continue to love. It is absolutely incredible.