West Hollywood, CA — I had the opportunity to see the private screening of Memoria at Soho House hosted by Neon. The drama/fantasy movie is written and directed by Palme D’or winning Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The movie stars Academy Award-winning actress, Tilda Swinton. This eerie movie takes place in Columbia where Jessica (played by Tilda Swinton) gets woken up by an incredibly loud thud. The thud sounds like a wrecking ball smashing into a steel drum — but the surprise is learning she’s the only person who can hear the sound. However, before diving more into Memoria, there’s a little backstory to the movie’s creativity. This disturbing sound was inspired by a similar noise the director of the movie himself experienced in real life. Memoria is about Jessica’s journey to discover the reason and meaning behind this strange sensory syndrome. This movie has very few scene cuts, taking you along the journey in what feels like real-time.Instead of initially turning to a doctor for her condition, Jessica seeks out one of her husband’s former students, Hernan. Hernan is an artist and music engineer who works in a recording studio. Seeking to help Jessica, Hernan is able to recreate the sound for her which sent a chill through her spine. But, needing the drama to escalate in the movie, days later wanting to speak with him again, Hernan is nowhere to be found.
Refused to be halted in discovering the eerie sound, Jessica heads to the Amazon. IT was here not only was she unable to get rid of the sound but also where she met a local fisherman with the same name as a friend: Hernan.
From here the plot of Memoria continues to pick up steam. I won’t give too much away- but through a revelation and an almost supernatural occurrence – the source of the sound is revealed on Jessica’s journey.This movie dives into how Columbia has moved away from its indigenous roots and has become a more modern country. Jessica, the foreign woman from Scotland, is being consumed by the echoed ghosts of a lost culture. Memoria makes you dig deep and think.
The questions asked throughout the movie aren’t answered so obviously, if at all. Some might say this movie is too slow-moving, others might say it’s in the little details that tell the story.
Memoria is original, nothing like I’ve ever seen. Memoria is out now — make sure you go see it.
