Memory (2024 in Spain)

Plot of Memory: Sylvia is a woman with history. She works in a home for special needs people and regularly attends AA meetings. She is persuaded by her sister to go to a high school reunion, where she is stalked by Saul a fellow alumnus. Saul follows her home and in the morning is found outside her home, an apartment above a tyre shop where she lives with her daughter Anna. Using Saul’s phone she calls his brother who takes him away. Later she visits Saul’s home and her brother apologises. She is offered a job looking after Saul, but only accepts after it seems that he could not have been involved in a sexual attack on her in college. It seems that Sylvia and Saul are becoming close, but troubled by the relationship she gives up the job and goes back to the special needs place. But Saul leaves his house and despite his problems finds her, renewing their relationship. But how ill it end?

Content: There is a bit of male nudity, but no actual sex. Later Saul and Sylvia are seen in a bath together. There is a bit of social drinking but actually more time is spent in the AA meetings. Also Sylvia is seen being a help to others who are limited in some ways. In various environments Saul is seen to have a bit of difficulty, although he does not know why he followed Sylvia home. He also gets on well with Sylvia’s daughter. Sylvia and her mother are estranged but it is some time before we find out why. Apparently she did not believe that Sylvia’s father abused her.

A View: This film was quite well thought of, but surely it was only the subject matter which gained it some respect. I thought it was a bunch of cliché’s strung together and if anything the early onset dementia was portrayed in a very film friendly way. Having to deal with people with the problem of not remembering their way home or why they are where they are, or in the end even who they are, is not fun. It is not a cosy misfortune as it is mostly portrayed in the film. And then, when Sylvia finds romance, she discards her tied back hairstyle indicting her new freedom, oh dear! The director has done a lot with the $100, 000 budget, but this is not actually a reason for paying to see it at the cinema. 

Fun Fact: There are no fun facts about dementia.