by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
What are the biggest challenges of relationships? The fact that us human beings are all individuals, and our own perspectives, experiences, struggles, and trauma bring layers of complications when you try to build a life with someone else. Certain illnesses or experiences are particularly challenging to process and maneuver when you are trying to open your life up to someone else. That is exactly what writer/director Michel Franco investigates and navigates with his latest drama, Memory.
What is the core of this film? It attempts to explore the effects of trauma on humans, and the ramifications they have on the relationships we create. The central aspect of the film is a budding connection between Sylvia (Jessica Chastain), a woman who is a recovering alcoholic struggling with her previous trauma, and Saul (Peter Sarsgaard), a man struggling with dementia and his grief. The focus is on Sylvia, whose life is a web of complicated dynamics as she struggles to find love and a voice in her life. Her struggles and tenuous relationships are portrayed in a raw and brutal way. Franco does not attempt to pull punches, or try to get the audience to justify Sylvia’s shortcomings. She is not a great mother (she learned from an even worse one who was complicit in the horrible traumas of Sylvia’s youth), and her daughter is forced to engage in a world more complicated than she deserves, unfortunately without a proper guiding light. The film is heartbreaking in the sense that we are shown the life that Sylvia leads due to her lacking the mechanisms to truly cope. Chastain is incredible, as she brings so much pain to her performance — she does the heavy lifting in creating empathy for Sylvia.
What about the other half of this budding romance on screen? Sarsgaard brings his unique presence and approach to his character, Saul, that makes him stand out well. Due to his dementia, the memory of the title takes on one powerful meaning, as we see Sarsgaard portray a character lost in his own existence. The varied degrees of stares that he offers in his performance allow the audience to realize how much Saul is going through. Without a talent like Sarsgaard, this could have been an awkward and over-the-top turn that would not fit within the raw and somber tones of Franco’s film. Saul’s brother, Isaac (Josh Charles), is trapped with a more antagonistic dynamic, as he desperately tries to keep his struggling brother safe. The one major flaw of the film is not giving enough nuance to this character, as we do not get enough of the love — we only get most of the controlling from Isaac.
How is Franco able to make this story work under the weight of so many heavy and complex themes? What feels the most authentic about the film is the way it highlights the empathy and connection that Sylvia and Saul develop, instead of a “true” romance. Franco focuses on silent moments of support and physical expression. There are no big speeches and professions of love. They don’t act like they are soul mates in a big melodramatic way. Even the final moments of the film highlight their presence in each other’s lives as the root of this story. Those quieter moments work so well that the film can focus some of its bigger and “cinematic” moments on other dynamics (including a BIG confrontation between Sylvia and her mother).
Does Memory do justice to the themes it explores and the people who struggle with these illnesses and traumas? Franco’s non-glossy approach to telling this story is not afraid to show the ripples. There are a few characters or moments that feel a bit too much like a movie, and they undercut the film’s message a bit, but the overall portrait is striking. This cast, led by Chastain and Sarsgaard, anchor the film in authenticity and raw emotion that makes it an impactful and poignant emotional journey.
Rating: Liked It
Memory is currently playing in theaters
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