Memoria, dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Germany / Columbia / China / France / Mexico / Qatar / United Kingdom / Switzerland / Thailand 2021, 136 min., English and Spanish with English subtitles, 12A
‘Memoria is a piece of work of which I am deeply proud. To present it at the ICA, a lighthouse to so many of us as a beacon of fresh perspectives and spirit through so many thicks and thins, is something to which I am looking forward with real pleasure.’
– Tilda Swinton
Winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2021, the latest feature from singular Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives) stars Tilda Swinton as a woman left isolated and traumatised by unexplained sounds and noises that it appears only she can hear.
Jessica (Swinton) is an expatriate Briton living a quiet life in Colombia when she is suddenly beset by inexplicable noises – real or imagined, heard or hallucinated. As she tries to trace the sources of the sounds that are tormenting her, she’s brought into contact with lost memories and hidden histories – but are they hers? Mystical and metaphysical, Weerasethakul’s work is an extraordinary musing on the nature of memory and identity – with Swinton a predictably perfect foil.
This Preview screening will be followed by a Q&A with Tilda Swinton, hosted by film programmer and producer Simon Field.
Courtesy of Sovereign Films. Memoria will be released nationwide on 14 January.
no. 236848.