Memory

2023 1h 44m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 226

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Sylvia is a social worker who leads a simple and structured life: her daughter, her job, her AA meetings. This is blown open when Saul follows her home from their high school reunion. Their surprise encounter will profoundly impact both of them as they open the door to the past.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Jessica Chastain
Sylvia
Peter Sarsgaard
Saul
Merritt Wever
Olivia
Josh Charles
Isaac
Elsie Fisher
Sara
Jessica Harper
Samantha
Blake Baumgartner
Ashley
Davis Duffield
Male Nurse

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michel Franco
Writers: Michel Franco
Languages: English
Countries: Chile, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Chile, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michel Franco, shot by Yves Cape. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Óscar Figueroa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard and Merritt Wever carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt19864828 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michel Franco directs. Yves Cape behind the camera. Óscar Figueroa cuts. Produced in Chile, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 3 years ago.
2International production across 4 countries: Chile, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Michel Franco, shot by Yves Cape. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Óscar Figueroa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard and Merritt Wever carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt19864828 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Yves Cape
Editing: Óscar Figueroa
Production design: Claudio Ramírez Castelli
Makeup / hair: Mary Chipman
Sound: Jaime Baksht
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $313,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Memory (2023)

Also by

Michel Franco

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2023-12-23
★ 8/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/memory-review-a-poignant-exploration-of-the-importance-of-memories/ "Memory is a poignant exploration of identity and relationships, anchored by mesmerizing performances from Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard. Michel Franco delves into the profound significance of memories, tackling heavy themes such as dementia, sexual abuse, familial distrust, and trauma with authentic, non-exploitative care. The deliberately subtle technical choices, such as a colorless palette and the absence of a musical score, heighten the sensitive weight of the impactful atmosphere. Packed with fascinating, morally complex characters, the movie stands as a testament to the transformative potential of cinema in studying the depths of the human experience." Rating: B+
Brent Marchant2024-01-07
★ 7/10
How we remember our past is something we can all bank on, right? Or is it? For instance, what happens when mitigating influences impact our memory, potentially causing it to become fallible and untrustworthy? Can we truly rely on our recall then? Those are among the questions raised in the unconventional new romantic thriller from writer-director Michel Franco. The film follows the life of Sylvia, a recovering alcoholic with a troubled past (Jessica Chastain), who’s unexpectedly (and alarmingly) followed home from her high school reunion by an alleged former classmate, Saul (Peter Sarsgaard), whom she believes sexually molested her at that time. She’s troubled by this latest development and questions his motives about it, which even he doesn’t understand, especially when it’s revealed that he suffers from dementia. And, in an added twist, it turns out that Sylvia’s recall about her supposed past interaction with him is foggy, something that’s not entirely surprising in light of her history. This revelation changes everything, and an entirely new relationship between them emerges, particularly when it comes to each of them helping one another sort of their respective pasts and begin the healing process. This includes the exposure of an array of additional developments and the persistence of some still-unresolved ambiguities, all of which emerge through a skillfully crafted narrative, effectively brought to life with the superb performances of Sarsgaard and Independent Spirit Award nominee Chastain. Admittedly, the picture’s first half could benefit from some stepped-up pacing, most notably the elimination of some sequences that are occasionally redundant and innately tiresome. However, the intrigue and engagement ramp up significantly in the picture’s back end, making up for much of the tedium in the opening act. Some of this is ironically accomplished through deftly handled nuance and subtlety, qualities that the filmmaker employs far more skillfully in the second half than in the first, where these traits are virtually obscured by prevailing understatement. Clearly, this is one of those releases that requires the viewer to give it some time to develop, but the payoff for doing so is worth it in the end. If nothing else, “Memory” provides us with a fresh perspective on its central theme while showing us how “like can cure like” in a psychological therapeutic process, an approach that can yield rewards beyond measure.
CinemaSerf2024-03-02
★ 6/10
Whilst the subject matter here is quite interesting, the execution isn't especially. "Sylvia" (Jessica Chastain) is working in the social care system whilst bringing up her daughter "Anna" (Brooke Taylor). Her life, as effectively illustrated by her door locking and burglar alarm routine each day, is a structured affair with little variation. She has a strong relationship with her sister but is completely estranged from her mother. The two women attend a school reunion one night and, leaving early, she is followed home. It's a miserable night and next morning she discovers him asleep outside her door. Inspecting his wallet, she discovers his identity and calls his brother "Isaac" (Josh Charles) who explains that "Saul" (Peter Sarsgaard) has memory issues. Was he stalking her or is there more to this rather meandering scenario? Chastain does work quite well, but I found the story seemed to randomly inject way too many "incidents" along the way that seemed designed to enliven or empower the plot. Many seemed a little too disaster-scenario prone and are used to enhance purely for dramatic purposes. The culminating scenes lacked plausibility and at times the whole thing came across as little better than an A-list soap opera. Coincidence underpins just a bit too much of the film and the delivery of information about the characters to the audience is all delivered in just too sporadically a fashion. I felt sorry for just about everyone involved, but I didn't feel particularly engaged.