Taken for Granted

            Memento immediately plays with the idea of how we take memory reconstruction and experiences for granted. The way that the film has been directed is in such a way that we as an audience are put in a similar position to that of Leonard. The ending of the story is introduced to us in the beginning and leads up what we have already been introduced to. This film conveys the idea of amnesia to the audience by attempting to gradually recreate a situation. We see the film how Leonard sees his life: out of order and in bits and pieces.

            Janelle proposed a question to us to keep in mind while watching: “Why are we watching this film in this class?” Similarly to the past works we studied, this has an unreliable narrator. All information we’re given is from a man who can hardly remember anything that happened 15 minutes ago. Memory can be distorted and is merely interpretation. His lack of short-term memory makes it impossible for us to have a realistic representation of what has really happened to him. Furthermore, Leonard’s memory is nothing more than constructs of what he makes for himself. He is constantly reminding himself about the story of Sammy Jankis in order to reconstruct his thoughts. Leonard has put together photographs with captions in an attempt to remember, but how much of an accurate representation do these serve as? This film truly makes you sit back and realize how easily we overlook the importance of memory and certainty in our day-to-day lives.