Does it Matter?

The whole beginning of Memento sends us back and forth trying to figure out who to believe, who to trust. If we as viewers had had more of an omniscient point of view, the story would not have been as interesting. The way it was made, we felt almost empathetic toward Leonard, not knowing what was true and who was lying. I think the nonlinear time helped with that effect too.

At the end of the movie, we find out that it was Teddy who was telling the truth all along. Or at least that's what we're led to believe. We also find out that Leonard already has killed a couple "John G."'s and just can't remember. When he asked Teddy something about whether he killed the right guy, Teddy replied, "Does it matter?" I remembered this line in particular because that is the conclusion I have been coming to about the truth v. lies that we have been encountering and discussing in class.

So does it matter? For some people, lies are necessary according to their mindset. If they need to believe something in order to live up to their own standards, then they can do that. Leonard's condition made him unable to remember getting his revenge, but he also needs to believe that John G. is still out there. He needs to have something to chase, someone to kill. Even when he finds out the truth, he writes lies to himself so has something to believe later. So really, at the point of believing your own lies, I don't think it matters what's true and what isn't. It's all up to interpretation.