Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
Watching Memoria feels like daydreaming after a few days without sleep.
I liked the focus on sound, and the long lethargic shots.
It reminded me of some films I watched by Tsai Ming-liang.
I had some critical thoughts about it too: I believe that this film was never selected for the Cannes Film Festival had it not been for the fact Tilda Swinton was in the lead role and Apichatpong Weerasethakul as the director. The intrinsic quality of the film does not stand out - And the 2 celebrity film people are being praised at the moment in big film festivals. So, they basically could have done whatever they wanted, and get high praises from critics.
I also feel like the phenomenon of film critics and festivals promoting this type of slow and pretentious film making is working against filmmakers like myself who are aiming for commercial and sustainable careers.
On one hand if I were to make a "festival film" I might get recognition from "the industry" but on the other hand, how can I sustain myself and grow my audience? Nobody really go to the cinema or streem online those type of films. So it has 0 commercial value, and yet it's been promoted by big festivals.
With all that said, I did enjoy watching Memoria, but I'm a filmmaker, and I don't mind watching a paint dries for 120 minutes.
Verdict: 2.5 / 5 ★ - Okay.
