Memory

This film is almost impossible to talk about without disclosing both characters mental illnesses so if you'd consider that to be a spoiler stop reading now.

Memory is a drama that unbeknownst to me was released back in February but from my understanding only had a limited cinema run if at all.

It stars Jessica Chastain as Sylvia a social worker who after attending a high school reunion is followed home by Peter Sarsgaard's Saul.

Saul is suffering from Dementia and as is unfortunately the case with a lot of dementia sufferers he's become a burden to his brother who he lives with. His brother leads a busy work life and whilst she is initially hesitant Sylvia eventually agrees to look after Saul when she's not working her other job.

What I felt this film did a great job of getting across is how in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life when a family member has such an illness like dementia where they require care it's easy for the sufferer to start to feel less human.

This film shows Saul and his struggles but it also shows that he's still a human being who still has the cognitive ability to form relationships and be of use, he just requires extra care from time to time.

Sylvia on the other hand is a recovering alcoholic, the film explores the reason she started drinking but that would be going into spoiler territory. I will say though that although she's been sober for a long time she is still haunted by the events that unfolded in her past that lead her to start drinking.

The film whilst undoubtedly bleak in tone which is to be expected given the subject matter never has any images that are there purely to shock. Instead it's a very real take on how two people with their own individual struggles can find comfort in eachother.

I appreciated the films unique look at dementia and whilst it's certainly one you have to be in the right mindset for its worth watching if you get the chance.

It's a drama of two persons with damaged memories seeking solace. The film is set in New York City in the early 2000s. Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) is a single mom who is overly protective of her 12-13-year-old daughter, Anna (Brooke Timber). Sylvia, an alcoholic who has been sober for 12 years, relates to her younger sister, Olivia (Merritt Wever), but is estranged from her mother, Samantha (Jessica Harper). The viewer soon learns of Sylvia's memories of abuse as a pre-teen.

Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) lives with his brother, Issac (Josh Charles). Saul's wife died some time ago. He has early-onset dementia that displays in unusual ways. Sylvia and Saul encounter each other at a reunion at the high school they both attended.

The film follows their improbable relationship that evolves despite a very rocky start. Their families react in different ways to what they observe in the relationship, and the ending is, in my mind, ambiguous.

Chastain is marvelous in her character. Sarsgaard is good, but the nature of his role makes for a relatively narrow personality. The role of Anna seems a tad unrealistic, but Timber plays it well. I found the film's editing to be superb. And I've always loved the Procul Harum song, "A Whiter Shade of Pale," that repeats as a theme throughout. Although the story feels improbable, I loved it.

I have been keeping up with Michel Franco for awhile as I have enjoyed his works on "After Lucia, Chronic, and April's Daughter". While "New Order" and "Sundown" aren't perfect, I expect Franco to offer some interesting concepts and direction in his movies. "Memory" isn't the best movie he has done but it's still captivating with strong performances from Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard, atmosphere, and direction throughout.

The narrative explores heavy traumatic themes that are pretty interesting without feeling cheap or exploitive. Although some of the narrative choices and concepts are left to more to be desired and at moments, a bit confusing on certain decisions, the writing and Franco's direction keeps the story on feeling compelling. The camerawork and production is solid. The performances are really good as Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard gave great performances to their characters and emotions. Unfortunately, some of the child performances aren't very good and noticeably poor.

The dialogue is solid as there are some interesting conversation moments, the characters are interesting and the themes, while at times it feels a little heavy-handed, are well-explored without feeling messy or cheap. However, unlike Franco's other works, it doesn't feel as impactful as it could have been and probably Franco's more tamer works unlike his usual style. Which does at times feel a bit detached.

Overall, despite the flaws, I still found the narrative, the performances and concepts to be interesting.

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.

Sylvia is a social worker who leads a simple and structured life. 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.

The roles are played admirably by all of the main actors and with little prompt or background or character development, we slowly get to understand the main players and what drives them.

Sylvia is affected deeply by past memories that people try to convince her are untrue and that she is a liar and a bad person.

Saul cannot remember much at all as he has dementia. Polar opposites and yet attracted to one another leaning on each others strengths, whilst supporting each others weaknesses.

It's a little insight into dealing with people with dementia, and a glimpse of how people with a traumatic background can suffer right through life.

It's the friends and family who have to stand by them in times of stress.

It's a very quiet film with little meaningful dialogue, and some scenes where you have to fill in the blanks for yourself so if you're not getting what the film is about, you'll probably dislike it intensely.

If you do understand the work, family and personal dynamics you'll probably stick with it and love it by the end despite it being a hard watch.

I do believe Jessica Chastain can take any role, any role at all and turn it into something beautiful.

Main drawback: big chunks of dialogue are muttered so you don't hear what's aid. Watch this film with subtitles or you miss nuances.