Sylvia, who works at an adult care facility in New York, rushes home in the middle of the night after a reunion with her old high school classmates. An enigmatic man follows her from the party to her home, without ever speaking to her or revealing his intentions, and simply remains in front of her entrance for hours. The next day, the caregiver comes out to confront him, which leads to the meeting of two people who, at that moment in the film Memorymake us suspect with sufficient grounds that ―in one way or another― they suffer from wounds in the depths of their soul.
“I like to put the focus on people who are invisible in society,” says the director Michel Franco at the press conference for his most recent feature film, within the framework of the Morelia International Film Festival 2023 (FICM 2023). «I am more interested in broken people, people who do not seek to be perfect and shine in society. “I prefer my characters to be vulnerable.”
Starred by Jessica Chastain (Interstellar) and Peter Sarsgaard (batman), the independent drama Memory is the eighth film directed by the Mexican Michel Franco, whose hallmark has always been the approach to delicate topics based on uncomfortable and even controversial narratives, being After Lucia and New order clear examples of such attributes. Perhaps in that sense, Memory It is distinguished from its predecessors – you can draw your own conclusions once you see it – but it certainly shares with them the good international reception. In addition to competing for the Golden Lion at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, this film earned Sarsgaard the Volpi Cup for Best Actor.
Later, his run at festivals brought Franco’s latest to FICM 2023, where he showed off a gala performance attended by the leading actress and actor, who unveiled an armchair with his name – as is tradition at the event – but before They accompanied the director in a talk with the media about what is possibly his most benevolent film so far.
All boxes checked
The argument of Memory posits that Sylvia (Chastain) is a recovering alcoholic with a dark past, while Saul (Sarsgaard) is a man with dementia. When they first exchange words—after Saul follows her to her house—Sylvia accuses him of committing a heinous act when they were high school students. He doesn’t remember it but she insists on his guilt and proceeds to “punish” him.
Punishment was originally going to be the main thread of the film, but Michel Franco ultimately decided to take the narrative in a different direction.
«My first instinct was to write a pretty dark revenge movie. And it was my sister Victoria, who always gives me advice on writing and editing, who told me: ‘There is no greater challenge for you to write that, and who wants to see it? Why don’t you try something else?’ And that’s where this film came from and I am very grateful to my sister because she was totally right,” the filmmaker recalled.
Even Jessica Chastain was close to rejecting the project while reading the script, thinking she knew where the plot would go and she didn’t like it. However, when she finished reading, she understood what Franco really wanted to tell. And she accepted it.
«Many times, I think that when society begins to recognize crimes against women, one sees a lot of revenge dramas. The audience says, ‘Oh, ok, now the protagonist will take revenge for the trauma she suffered.’ But what moved me about the script [de Memory] “It is a film about healing and exchanging energies,” declared the actor.
Initially, what attracted Chastain most to the project was working with Franco. Therefore, she agreed to meet with him at the end of 2021 to listen to his proposal. And once she got over the erroneous initial impression, the Oscar winner gladly discovered that the script that this director was putting in her hands “checked all the boxes” of what she wanted and was willing to do.
Sarsgaard joined the cast of Memory after Chastain, attracted more than by the story, by the promising experience of working with her and Franco. On the other hand, his expectations regarding her character were also altered while he read the script. “[Saul] He went from being the person who really didn’t want to play to someone he admired,” he stressed.
From Mexico to the world
The filming of Memory took place entirely in New York and concluded in May 2022. Although it was not the first time that Michel Franco made a film in the US – he conceived Chronicle in Los Angeles—it was a novelty that he could film in the most populated city in the country.
“Michel always considered New York but he was against it, thinking that it was going to be very difficult, that it was going to be impossible, but everything went very well,” shared Eréndira Núñez Larios, producer of Memory and inseparable companion of Franco. “They gave us [el estímulo] Eficine in November [de 2021]in December we met Jessica and in January [de 2022] We were already in New York preparing [la película]».
However, despite being a sustained production in foreign territory and with English-speaking stars – for whom the director predicts a solid candidacy for the 2024 Oscar – the team behind the cameras was made up of a lot of Mexican talent. This includes the heads of costumes, art direction, editing and makeup, who had previously worked with Teorema, Franco’s production house, on films such as sundown and Heroic.
The filmmaker’s purpose is in no way to distance himself from film production in Mexico. “Where I like to film the most is in my country,” he stated. He also emphasized that it is very unlikely that we will one day see him direct a film that he himself has not written and co-produced. “I wouldn’t hire myself to film any wedding out there,” he joked.
Curiously, Franco and Chastain have already filmed another film together, about which they have not said much. The little we know is that it is titled dreams, which involves Mexican dancer Isaac Hernández and was filmed partly in San Francisco, partly in Mexico. Added to this, he and the actress The Tree of Life and The Scarlet Summit They are already planning to collaborate on a third feature film.
«The collaborations I have had so far with Michel Franco have been very inspiring and satisfying. “We have made two films and we are going to make three, four, five, six… So I hope to spend a lot of time in Mexico,” Chastain noted.
Memory, directed by Michel Franco, was presented at FICM 2023 on October 21, 2023 through a Grand Gala. Go HERE to learn more details about the great film festival in Mexico.
Antonio G. Spindola I have very bad memory. Out of solidarity with my memories, I choose to get lost too. Preferably, in a movie theater.