Palme D’or winning Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a master of his craft. Paying attention to the finest of details and the most delicate of sounds, his films all share a common thread of acute sensory exploration. His canon is that of a true auteur.
That said, it’s not surprising that his latest feature, Memoria, is a continuation of this legacy.
Tilda Swinton stars as Jessica, a Scottish orchid farmer who has taken up residence in Bogota, near the jungles of Columbia, to be close to her ill sister. Early one morning, Jessica hears a thunderous ‘bang’ that sends chills down her spine, due to its unexpected occurrence and the strange metallic vibrato the sound omits. Unable to locate the source of the noise, Jessica begins experiencing a mysterious sensory syndrome as she attempts to locate and quiet the growing sonic sensation in her head.
Winner of the Grand Jury prize at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, Memoria is Weerasethakul’s first dive into English-language filmmaking; the only deviant from his otherwise stereotypical “slow cinema” outputs. Tilda Swinton commands attention from the very first frame; her performance amongst the small cast of nine billable characters is transfixing, to be expected. Her co-stars include a French archaeologist and a young studio producer, both of whom hold steady in their respective scenes that, at times, can last over 10 minutes straight.
Those familiar with Weerasethakul’s filmography know that the art-house filmmaker is not the most consumer-friendly, so a succinct plot (and dare I say, payoff) is not easily identifiable. Memoria gives plenty to ruminate on throughout the course of its 2-hour runtime, making way for a deep, open-ended conversation with peers post-screening. Also worth discussing: the film’s 35 co-producers!
I can’t end my review without talking about the music of Memoria. Colombian composer César López’s serene score is the perfect companion to this otherwise quiet film. Listen to the title track “Memoria” for a sense of the ethereal goodness.
Distributed by NEON. Memoria opens at the IFC Center in New York on 12/26 before “moving from city to city, theater to theater, week by week, playing in front of only one solitary audience at any given time.” Per NEON, the film will only play in theaters, and it will not become available on DVD, on-demand, or streaming platforms.
