Memories of Tomorrow

Considering that most of the reviews I've read here so far glorify MOT because it was made with a low (no) budget, I thought I'd try to look at it from a different perspective.

Yes, yes, WOW look at the great effects, the great cinematography, the great editing etc etc & all with such a petite budget!!! From this, definitely a 10/10. But I guess that's what you get when you teach at a film school: easy access to equipment, production and keen hands.

Still, a film, no matter how pretty, no matter how well cut, fails to stand tall without the foundation of good storytelling. The storyline in MOT was predictable and rather dull: Bad person wants to forget his sins/past & to turn over a new leaf but past catches up with him with some dire consequences.

Nonetheless, the director attempts to spice up the story with the way he structures it. This makes it quite interesting overall but risks the viewer's engagement with the characters. The flat and one dimensional performances from the cast doesn't help either. Notwithstanding the characters of John and, sometimes, Tanya, the others were merely cut-outs from stereotypical characters.

Moolah or no moolah, MOT failed to engage me. The pretty pictures and pretty pictures only, made me into a lifeless observer and not the participant that I enjoy being when experiencing a film.

But yes, I'd be lying if I said that Amit didn't have any potential. Of course he does!!! However, at this stage it's like a George Lucas scenario where, coming from a post-production background, he seems only concerned with the polished and shiny surface of his product.

If he would take scriptwriting/storytelling as seriously as he does with the look of the film, then by golly, make way for the launch of a great director!

And this is something moolah cannot buy.

MEMORIES OF TOMORROW is an interesting film, in that it's a spy thriller that's best when it's not interested in being a spy thriller. Other folks here have alluded to the story, so I won't belabor those points. Personally, it's not a genre that excites me much (so add a point or two to my score if you're a fan of the genre), but Tripuraneni does a good job of crafting a solid story and it ticks along nicely enough.

Where MEMORIES really shines, though, is in its building of visual sequences and editing. There's a lot of downright visionary camera-work in here (especially considering this was shot on a Panasonic DVX-100A!), and there's places where the combination of the images, cutting, and sound design transported me to another level of appreciation, rare in the world of film-making, much less in the world of digital debut features. Personally, I'd love to see this crew take on a film that's even more abstract with a less conventional plot - the poetry of the aesthetics sometimes feels like it calls attention to the more standard scriptwriting devices. (TV broadcasters spoon-feeding out important plot details or the initial setup of the romance between the two lead characters, for instance.)

In sum: well worth a look, especially for those curious about pulling off effective and aesthetically interesting no-budget film-making. If my rating seems low in comparison to my comments, it's partially because I don't grade on a scale for budget (so add two points if you do) and partially because I expect films from this crew in the future that will leave this film in the shade.

Amit Tripuraneni's debut feature, the intriguing mystery thriller Memories of Tomorrow featured at the New Zealand Asian FILM FESTIVAL AOTEAROA 2005. John (Richard Thompson) and Tanya (Rachel Gilchrist) are a happy couple who seem to have it all: he's a writer, she's an artist, and they have the idyllic home, cars, boat, and love each other deeply. The only problem is John can't remember his past: a secret which comes back to haunt them when a mysterious stranger, Roger (Ray Trickitt), arrives and drags Tanya back into a world she thought they had left behind. As their dream life rapidly goes haywire John and Tanya have to reprise latent skills as they fight to extricate themselves from a very confused and messy situation. Shot in and around Auckland on DOP Lance Wordsworth's digital Panasonic DVX100a most of the film uses existing locations and natural lighting and props in the Dogme 95 style adopted by filmmakers like Lars von Trier (Idioterne – The Idiots –1995) and rather than being paid everyone worked on equity which kept the budget to an incredibly low $15,000 and dollar for dollar Tripuraneni's privately funded debut feature is light years ahead of Geoff Murphy's Spooked. Tripuraneni has done an amazing job with limited resources and I strongly recommend Memories of Tomorrow.

This was one of the films I was very eager to see at this year's Microcinema Film Festival in Chicago, and I was not disappointed at all.

Everything from the cinematography, to the directing, the acting, and editing was all near perfect, in my opinion. Amit proved that you can make a great film, with a great story, cinematography, and acting, on a shoestring budget.

I hope that more indie filmmakers take the time to make movies like this. If we get a good solid group of young directors and producers like Amit (and some others that were at the festival this year) I think that we can slowly prove that there is a market for independent films.

Overall, a very entertaining piece of cinema that I highly recommend viewing, it's a "MUST SEE" for everyone. Definitely one of my favorite films of the past few years.

I can't wait to see the next film from Amit. Keep em coming.

With a rating of 8.4/10 I was expecting something really special but I was seriously disappointed with this film. If it wasn't for the fact Rachel Gilchrist is so attractive I'm not sure I'd have even finished watching this movie. I seriously recommend giving this a miss; it screams out naff no budget and is frankly boring & predictable, calling it a thriller is like false advertising. I've watched better fan made sci-fi films than this like Star Wreck - In the Pirkinning and Star Wars Revelations, they look less amateur. For the love of God I hope there is never a sequel. Perhaps if they fought with shovels instead of guns it would be more exciting.