10 Most Unreliable Movie Narrators Of All Time
4. Leonard - Memento
"Don’t believe his lies.” That’s what amnesiac Leonard writes on the back of a Polaroid of Teddy. Really though, it’s Leonard we should be wary of, since he can’t remember anything past the previous twenty four hours.
To retain information vital to solving the murder of his wife, Leonard keeps Polaroids, and tattoos useful clues on his body. So as an audience, we’re led to believe that he’s reliable, even in spite of his barely functioning memory retention skills. Although there are various readings of the film, and director Christopher Nolan intentionally leaves things ambiguous, by the time Memento’s climax rolls around it becomes pretty clear that Leonard isn’t as innocent as he seems.
It’s heavily implied in the film’s closing moments that Leonard may well have been responsible for killing his wife with an insulin overdoes, and that his name may not even be Leonard after all. Since Leonard can’t remember anything, he’s completely unaware of the truths of his own life, and can only give his life meaning by solving puzzles and playing detective, something Teddy is more than willing to assist with.