Memoria

The latest from Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a dreamy, hallucinatory meditation on sound, memory, and history starring Tilda Swinton and set in beautiful Colombia. Swinton plays Jessica, an expat orchid grower with a strange malady: she recurrently experiences a booming sound that no other character can hear.

The quest for answers takes Jessica first to a recording studio, then to the Amazon jungle; in each location, she finds men who offer assistance, but no clear solutions. Weerasethakul may be one of the greatest filmmakers of our time, but he’s not an artist for whom clarity is a priority: his interest lies in the poetic and the mysterious, and on that score, Memoria is a resounding success. It’s also a stunningly beautiful work, with images that will linger in the mind along with the teasing enigmas, the strange sounds, and the feeling of having emerged from a splendid dream.

Astonishing… It left a residue of happiness in my heart.

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Leaves us trembling on the edge of uncertainty, providing just enough terra firma to keep the viewer engaged while leading them deeper into the realms of the unknown.

Mark Kermode, Observer

An emotionally wrenching and intellectually fulfilling experience, but not one I can easily summarize or classify…

AO Scott, New York Times

Haunting and unforgettable.

Mike D’Angelo, AV Club