I don ' t think it was lying , I think it was just how she perceived it . When you remember a memory , it ' s not like you ' re looking at yourself you ' re looking at your surroundings . She wouldn ' t remember herself as old or young . She was looking at her daughter , it ' s not like there was a scene where she was looking at herself in the mirror and examining herself . Because in a later flashforward , Jeremy Renner isn ' t aged with the daughter either . I think it just comes down to the perception . A cheap twist was in The Dark Knight Rises when they show Batman in the cockpit 3 seconds before the atomic bomb detonates . THAT ' S lying to save a twist . I saw Arrival a second time around last week and it really did feel like memories and how they can be easily skewed .