TIFF 2023: Memory Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Coming off of Peter Sarsgaard’s Volpi Cup win at the recent Venice Film Festival, there was understandably some hype surrounding Memory. Along with Jessica Chastain, who is no slouch herself, the pieces were definitely there. While it is certainly not their fault, the film surrounding them was not there. Throwing so many themes and tones at the wall and seeing if one would stick, the result is an absolute mess that simply takes on too much and fails at just about everything. That being said, some audiences may very well connect with a lot of its themes and the good performances from Chastain, Sarsgaard, and the rest of its impressive supporting cast who are all clearly trying to give it some life but it’s hard to care about any of it which is disappointing in and of itself and the biggest disappointment of this year’s festival so far. Though still somewhat watchable, it is likely to be a divisive one so therefore, audiences should set their expectations accordingly. However, fans of Chastain and/or Sarsgaard may find enough to enjoy here despite the fact that is nowhere near their best work.

Memory follows Sylvia (Chastain), an attendant at a day home for adults with mental disabilities. Her job was merely one part of her simple and regimented life alongside taking care of her daughter Anna (Brooke Timber) and attending her AA meetings. That life would ultimately be turned upside down when a man named Saul (Sarsgaard) mysteriously followed her home after their high school reunion and remained outside her door and braving the elements overnight. Little did Sylvia know, Saul suffered from severe early onset dementia. From there, the two developed a blossoming relationship that would change their lives forever. Over time, their relationship morphed into an emotional roller coaster, but not the good kind, as it awkwardly balanced tones and themes while employing a surplus of melodrama. Taking some baffling twists and turns, it seemed like Sylvia and Saul failed to evolve over the course of the film and lacked any discernable character arcs. It appeared that the story had no plan as it went out of its way to distract audiences from its flaws with its hodgepodge of themes that never quite fit together. It felt like watching several different films at the same time.

In the end, the best part of the film was Chastain and Sarsgaard’s performances, especially the latter. The writing didn’t do Chastain any favors but she was fine as Sylvia. Nailing a solid baseline for the character, for the most part, she was all over the place. Though playing a character suffering from dementia came with its own set of challenges, Sarsgaard was up to the task. Nailing a tough level of depth and nuance, Saul was a tragic character who was easy to feel for. While he had his moments, it was a shame what the film did with him.

Memory is something a lot of audiences will want to forget. A waste of the talents of everyone involved, the film is an aimless mess that fails in almost every way with the only exception being a strong performance from Peter Sarsgaard.

*still courtesy of TIFF*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.