Author Topic: Memoria  (Read 596 times)

Eric/E.T.

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Memoria
« on: April 09, 2022, 02:16:31 PM »
I know a few of us have seen it, and it's kind of hard to talk about the themes without spoiling what is actually happening, so here goes...and this will be more a ramble than a super coherent piece of writing, just sort of freewheeling as I continue to digest this film a week later...

I'm just going to go with the Apichatpong Weerasethakul-approved "Joe" when referring to the director.

So, the sound. I feel like the concept and existence of this sound that only one person in the film can hear (Jessica) is an interrogation of subjective experience vs. objective reality, as well as the limitations of humans to perceive our place in the universe. She goes down a serious rabbit hole, and it would seem she's chasing the sound - what it is, where it comes from - in an attempt to prove its objective existence, and thus verify that she's not coming unglued from reality (or, "going mad"). But then, I'm forgetting the audience, because we can also hear the sound, and Jessica going to a music producer to make a simulation of the sound in order to ascertain its origin can also be seen as Joe gesturing to the audience that there actually is a sound, his crew is making it, and it does actually exist objectively. The space ship towards the end seems to also prove this.

And this only unpacks the themes of this film a little bit. I'm also cool with being off-base, btw, I probably need to read up on the film a little. I've been working super long days and really haven't had the time.

Unpacking the time Jessica spends with the older Hernan is a daunting challenge in and of itself. It leads to extrasensory feeling and communication, which to me seems to suggest destruction of the barrier between one individual self and another. That could also just be me reading something within the confines of my own beliefs, though. I think it's the best part of the movie, found it extraordinarily moving, even if somewhat baffling at points. This is where the transcendence that dusty_bottoms noted comes into play.

To me, the presence of the alien ship is Joe telling us that not all is known, perhaps not even knowable. I know this film is called "Memoria" and there's plenty to say about memory, especially as Jessica and Hernan seem to have memories in common and/or are able to communicate memories in some extrasensory manner, but memory doesn't exist without perception, and were this film called Percepcion, I'd most likely understand why.
A witty saying proves nothing. - Voltaire

dusty bottoms

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Re: Memoria
« Reply #1 on: May 10, 2022, 06:48:45 AM »
I like this summary. You know what you'll get with 'Joe's' films, and I feel this is an example of his work really taking his common themes to a new level. It's baffling in parts but at the same time the atmosphere of extrasensory communication that you mention is always there in the background. It's like the lead character is in her own dream, challenging her brain to examine any theories or thoughts she has about her existence, her past lives, her future, her past, her reason d'etre.
"Listen up, there's a storm coming.......... like nothing you've ever seen.......... and not a one of you.......... is prepared for it"

 

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