Review: Memory – A love worth remembering
Directed by Michel Franco
Starring Jessisca Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Jessica Harper
6.5/10
This new romance film starring Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard comes from an intriguing place, taking a number of unexpected twists whilst also not relying on the predictable patterns of regular romance films. Through a very handsome lens, Memory portrays an unusual and very tender portrayal of a love story, if coming from a small and sometimes muted film.
At a high school reunion, Sylvia (Chastain) has a most unusual encounter with Saul (Sargaard)—he follows her as she exits the party and all the way to her home, even staying outside all through the rainy night. But it’s revealed he has early on-set dementia, and he doesn’t even remember why he did this. After a very awkward confrontation that turns out to be a misunderstanding, Sylvia agrees to work as Saul’s carer, though this becomes more of a relationship than a job.
Saul is revealed to be a very well-intentioned man, trying to keep a hold of his composure despite his illness. And Sylvia reacts accordingly, becoming more and more attached to this man. A relationship blossoms between them that is felt so realistically and naturally through these terrific performances.
Yet there seems to be a lot more to be desired, especially thematically. The misuse of memory, whether it be unintentionally through disease or intentionally through repression, is expressed in a handful of scenes. But it feels like much more could be done with such an interesting romance that’s depicted, with some scenes feeling too tangential to the central love story.
Memory feels so wonderfully produced, with its intensely committed performances, its gorgeous shots, and a romance at the centre of it that doesn’t take too many predictable turns. Yet by the very humble yet very so-so conclusion, it comes across like a small film. Although taken as a whole, there seems to be an underwhelming feeling from Memory, despite many scenes that make it up feeling so resonating and, indeed, memorable.
DAVID MORGAN-BROWN