It’s just a theory. As an artist, I’m aware of the concept of happy accidents. I also remember all the ‘sybolic messages’ in the Beatles ‘Abby Road’ album cover. (Or the ‘devil’ in the smoking WTC towers.) People see what they want to see when a lot of times the artist is just providing entertainment. It’s not a true story. I’m also aware that filmakers want films to have the biggest impact with the first seeing and therefore some things don’t make sense during the second watching. this is especially true of mysteries where the director is trying to keep you guessing.
The web site was conceived, ‘written’ and had the blessings of the director as an adjunct to the film. As such, it’s important to helping understand some of the nuances of the film. Incidentally, the movie project was not related to the book project as a reference guide.
The dual-personality theory explains a lot of things that would otherwise not make sense. Yeah, it’s complex but so what? Why does complexity make it less valid? There was a couple of ‘What happened (and why) in the Godfather movie’ threads in GQ recently, and that movie has been around for a while. It’s very complex, yet a majority of Boarders (and the public in general) think that was one of the all time great movies.
The movie has enough holes that a couple of theories will work. That’s why it’s being debated. I feel mine leaves less ‘plot holes’ than others. Others may feel differently.
But don’t say yours is right because the writer made a mistake, and mine is wong (even though it ties things together better) because it is “too complex”. That’s just silly.
I didn’t say yours wasn’t valid or that it was wrong. I also didn’t say mine was right. Just that I didn’t agree with the split personality thing.
I stand corrected, I did put words in your mouth. Sorry.
I do agree with Tretiak about one thing, some of the strong emotions that this movie elicites come from finding out you’ve been sypathetic too a monster the whole movie.
I am still wondering about Natalie’s goals. Who was Dodd, really? Did Natalie genuinely want Leonard to kill Dodd, or was she setting Leonard up to be killed by Dodd? After all, she knew he was somehow connected to Jimmy’s death because of the clothes and car. Or perhaps Natalie had it in for both Dodd and Leonard and figured she could have them take care of each other.
Hi Lamia, I bought the popcorn but you never showed. 
I think the tip-off is Teddy’s conversation with Lenny in the car about how he came by the clothes and car. And Jimmy’s remarks to Lenny (as he’s being beaten).
I think Jimmy was a dealer and Dodd was a large scale distributor. Dodd’s drugs disappeared (through Jimmy) and he wanted them back (or the money). I believe he (Dodd) knew Nat was Jimmy’s GF and threatened her assuming she would get word to Jimmy. (I think Dodd just thought he was being ripped-off)
Natalie was scared and had no idea what really happened (she of course suspected someone named Teddy had either offed Jimmy or stolen the drugs).
She knew Lenny knew ‘Teddy’, even though he (Lenny) didn’t know he did. So she tricked him into getting Dodd off of her ass.
I think she loved Jimmy, didn’t know anything about the money, didn’t understand Lenny’s condition so she despised him but was willing to use him to be free of Dodd.
I’m not sure about that either. I just bought the DVD on Ebay so in a few days I’ll be able to watch it again each time someone mentions another theory like this one… 
IMO I think Natalie’s motivations may have been as she described them. Jimmy (and a wad of cash) were missing, and Dodd thinks she knows something. She fakes Dodd attacking her as a pre-emtive strike to get rid of him before he pays her a visit. The fact that she faked the attack to get Leonard to go after Dodd damages her credibility, but that was the only way she could get him to help.
So, although this moves us completely into the realm of speculation, what happens to Leonard after the action of the movie?
The “last” thing we see chronologically is Leonard (he hates to be called Lenny) developing the Polaroid of Teddy’s dead body. It looks like he’s going to write “Got him!” or “Vengeance at last!” or somesuch on the photo.
But we know Leonard well enough by this point to think that’s unlikely, that his mind will make him forget this apparent victory and go back onto the trail of his wife’s killer.
Only now, he doesn’t have Teddy to choose his targets and guide him to them. All he has is a gun, a Jaguar and a trunk full of cash.
What do we think happens next?
Slacker
I’m not sure Natalie wasn’t trying to actually get either Leonard or Dodd killed. She knew how dangerous Dodd was and figured sending Leonard after him might get Leonard killed (or worse). After all, she has pretty much figured out that Leonard has killed her boyfriend Jimmy. I think she figured that she wins no matter which one got killed.
It would be fun to speculate about the future. However, without Teddy around, seems like it’d pretty much be over. Or until he looses the polaroids. Think about it - He has a photo of Teddy saying he’s the one (“KILL HIM”), and he has a photo of Teddy dead and, presumably, he will get that last tat (he’s gonna pass that tattoo palor on his way into town again) which he’ll see everytime he looks in the mirror. At worst, he’s got his license tatted on his body. Every time he runs that info through the DMV he will find out Teddy’s dead. And we know he trusts his notes (“memory’s unreliable”).
I don’t believe she thought Lenny killed Jimmy, I think she thought Teddy did it. She even says that. That’s the reason that she suggested a place (for the killing) after she found out the tags IDed Teddy. She loved Jimmy and wanted Lenny to avenge his death. The only one who even knew Lenny was going to be there was Teddy. Even Lenny didn’t know until 10 or 15 minutes before (remember Len lost track of what was going on after about 15 minutes, Teddy knew this so he wouldn’t of picked a place too far away)
I think when Natalie first rushed in and started closing windows, she was truly scared of Dodd who had just threatened her. I also think it was then (seeing Lenny’s reaction to it all) that she came up with the Lenny-kills-Dodd idea. She wasn’t a major player on purpose, she just got caught in the cross-fire.
IMHO.
I agree with the above fiver, I’d think with Teddy out of the picture, there’s no one to take that last polariod away from Leonard, and he’ll know that the quest is over.
Ah, but you see, he doesn’t need anyone to take the last Polaroid away from him. He doesn’t want his quest to be over, otherwise he would have taken Teddy at his word after he killed Jimmy at the beginning/end of the movie.
He’ll destroy the Polaroid himself, and make up some new target. but without Teddy as a rudder, where will he go? What will he do?
I don’t think he’ll be able to do much with the facts tattooed on him. The last “fact” he got tattooed on himself was Teddy’s license plate number. He would have to remember to have that tattoo removed, or else his search will always lead him to Teddy, who is already dead.
I maintain that he did take Teddy at his word. I never bought the theory that Lenny didn’t want his quest to end. The only reason that the events in the movie transpired was because Lenny set up Teddy as John G when he found out he was being used. He’ll forever think that Teddy was the real John G (since he burned the picture allegedly taken after killing the real killer), assuming that he makes a note on that last polariod.
BTW - speaking of that last photo, this movie had the coolest first minute I’ve ever seen.
He did make a note on that Polaroid of Teddy, didn’t he? IIRC he wrote on the pic “He did it” or something like that. He’s also got Teddy’s plate number tattooed on his leg as a fact to further validate that Teddy was the killer.
I think you are giving him the ability think in ways he cannot. If he burns a photo he will have to have a ‘fact’ that leads him to do this. Without drug-dealers and crooked cops around, I don’t think he’ll have much help from the public at large to trick him into killing the wrong someone.
Now if you wanna go with the dual-personality theory…
I like the dual personality theory, although I’ll admit that without the website you wouldn’t necessarily agree with it. But the website is included on the DVD, so clearly it’s fair to use as an aide in interpreting the movie. And if you go through the website, the fact that there’s some kind of dual personality is pretty clear. In the movie you get to see Bad Lenny towards the end/beginning of the movie, when Lenny takes a picture of the Jag (Teddy: “That’s not your car!” Lenny: “It is now!”), and when he writes down “Fact” number 6 (Teddy’s license plate). By writing down Fact No. 6, Bad Lenny is signing Teddy’s death warrant. Why is he doing this? In my opinion, it’s to save Good Lenny from the truth – he killed his wife with insulin injections.
Great movie. It would be nice to be able to watch a chronological version, with the b&w scenes in their proper place as well.
If I may return to the issue of Natalie and Leonard and Dodd. Obviously, knowing that Dodd was a dangerous guy, she couldn’t really count on Leonard being able to take care of him, if that was her plan. To send Leonard after him was a pretty rsiky thing to do. The other possibility is that she simply wanted to warn him, keep Lenny aware that Dodd was looking for him, after she mentioned she told Dodd about Lenny’s car (which was actually Jimmy’s). My question is then, why not just tell lenny what is going on, as far as she knew (“Hey, you realize that the car you are driving and the clothes you are wearing belonged to my boyfreind, who is missing? Oh yeah, and there are some pretty dangerous people who might think you are involved.”)
I just thought of something… At the end of the movie, Lenny just found out that:
[li]He killed his wife, not John G.[/li][li]The original John G. is dead[/li][li]Teddy has been setting up other John G.'s to be killed by Lenny[/li]
Did Lenny set up Teddy as the newest John G. to break this cycle and stop all the killing? Once Teddy was gone, there would be nobody to direct Lenny to more victims. Maybe Lenny wasn’t such a bad guy after all.
Not that you asked me but…
Whatever she told him about the clothes and the car would’nt matter for two reasons; 1. He wouldn’t believe her, 2. He wouldn’t be able to remember it.
She seemed hesitant about giving Lenny the info until she was confident he had the resolve to do it. Also, the motivation was greater for Lenny as revenge. She knew he would act for ‘right’ - convincing him he stole the car (no easy feat - he didn’t see himself that way) might not be enough to cause him to act pre-emtively.
As far as Dodd being a dangerous guy, remember the look on Lenny’s face as he listened to the claimants that he thought was lying? Chilling.
Finally, despite being Dodd being dangerous, Lenny would have the advantage of surprise.
I hadn’t thought of that! That’s an excellent theory! Then again, maybe I’m just trying to make Leonard into a hero, since I thought he was until late in the movie (early in the storyline).
I also appreciate the split personality theory, although I don’t really buy it. But it did give me a lot more to think about.