Memoria
A Scottish expatriate in Colombia follows an impossible sound into a hypnotic meditation on memory, perception, and shared history.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Glacial
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- None
- meditative
- dreamy
- eerie
- quiet evening
- reflective viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Weerasethakul’s lyrical English-language expansion of his distinctive cinematic vocabulary, especially its sound design, atmosphere, and metaphysical ambiguity.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jessica’s recurring experience of an inexplicable explosive sound drives her investigation without receiving conventional explanation.
Jessica’s symptoms gradually resonate with Colombia’s archaeological and historical layers rather than remaining a purely personal condition.
Extended quiet passages, patient jungle observation, and carefully isolated sounds create meaning through sustained duration.
The precisely described bang recurs as a disorienting sonic event that shapes Jessica’s movements and emotional state.
Films like Memoria, and why
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
meditative mystery, porous reality, and contemplative engagement with memory and perception
The Turin Horse
slow cinema, ambiguous supernatural phenomena, and emotionally restrained encounters with the past
The Double Life of Véronique
dreamlike atmosphere, enigmatic sound design, and identity emerging through uncanny perception
Under the Skin
philosophical science fiction, altered sensory experience, and unresolved metaphysical mystery
Movie Details
- Director
- Apichatpong Weerasethakul
- Release Date
- 2021-09-30
- Runtime
- 136 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (286)
Cast
- Tilda Swinton
- Agnes Brekke
- Daniel Giménez Cacho
- Jerónimo Barón
- Juan Pablo Urrego
- Jeanne Balibar
- Aída Morales
- Constanza Guitérrez
- Elkin Díaz
- Daniel Toro
Common questions
- What is Memoria about?
- A Scottish expatriate in Colombia follows an impossible sound into a hypnotic meditation on memory, perception, and shared history.
- What is Memoria like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Memoria as glacial, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Memoria violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Memoria.
- What did critics think of Memoria?
- Critics broadly praised Weerasethakul’s lyrical English-language expansion of his distinctive cinematic vocabulary, especially its sound design, atmosphere, and metaphysical ambiguity.
- Which films are like Memoria?
- Films with a similar feel include Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, The Turin Horse, The Double Life of Véronique, and Under the Skin.
- How long is Memoria?
- Memoria runs 136 minutes.
