Memory
2023
***
Director: Michel Franco
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Brooke Timber, Merritt Wever, Elsie Fisher, Jessica Harper, Josh Charles, Tom Hammond, Ross Brodar, Jackson Dorfmann, Davis Duffield, Rand Faris
Sylvia, a social worker and recovering alcoholic, leads a structured life with her teenage daughter. One day, she meets Saul, a man with early-onset dementia, and the two form an unexpected connection. As the title suggests, Michel Franco's subdued character drama deals with memories. While Sylvia questions her own memories, Saul is gradually losing his. This premise sounds more compelling on paper than it does on screen. The resulting film is short and understated, but ultimately left little of an impression on me. The two central performances, by Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard, are very good.
