Memory
Memory
6.785%71%
Sylvia is a social worker who leads a simple and structured life. This is blown open when Saul follows her home from their high school reunion. Their surprise encounter will profoundly impact both of them as they open the door to the past.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 2, 2025
Memory left me a little unsure how to unpack the story here. Jessica Chastain plays Sylvia, a 13 years sober, single mother, who is followed home by a man after attending a high school reunion. The man, Saul (Peter Saarsgard), turns out to be suffering from dementia and memory loss, but he may or may not have a shared history with Sylvia somehow. Saul’s sudden appearance in Sylvia’s life dredges up complicated trauma from her past, rifts in her relationships with her mother, sister and daughter, but also provides hope for the kind of relationship she’s been missing.
Chastain and Saarsgard both giving incredibly moving performances I was completely transfixed by the manner in which the story unfolds. There’s a sort of unreliable narrative effect when it comes to the nature of Saul and Silvia’s past, that really kind of put me on edge for the entire runtime. I kept expecting some kind of truth bomb to go off near the end. Thankfully, that never comes though, because any revelation would have likely gone down a very dark path.
The central conflict of the film actually comes down to the rifts between Sylvia and her family. My biggest issue with the film is that their relationship turmoil bubbles to this climactic confrontational scene, but the way that it’s filmed felt like it really stripped the scene of all the emotion. It’s filmed in a wide shot, at a flat angle, with a static camera with most of the character’s backs turned and/or face blocked by other characters. Should have been an incredibly emotionally charged scene, but it felt completely muted by the blocking. Add in some questionable character decisions and a non-ending, I was left a bit underwhelmed when all was said and done, even though I was compelled throughout.