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By Robert Scucci
| Published
Hugh Jackman may have brought Wolverine out of retirement as recently as last year Deadpool and Wolverinebut when he’s not wearing a yellow suit wrapped around an adamantium-infused skeleton, he’s not so bad in the thriller genre. 2021’s A memory is a great example of Jackman taking the lead outside of Marvel in this existential tech-noir film about an investigator who revisits his painful memories to uncover clues about the disappearance of the love of his life. Although Jackman’s stellar performance is supported by the talent of Thandiwe Newton and Rebecca Ferguson, A memory it doesn’t exactly stick the landing after its build-up, but the build-up and cinematography alone make this film worth seeking out on Max if you’re interested in seeing Jackman portray a cynical detective racing the clock
The Memory Machine
A memory starts with Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) and Emily “Watts” Sanders (Thandiwe Newton) operate from a new interrogation facility that uses sensory deprivation as a means to allow their clients to revisit cherished memories from their past for a nominal fee. Offering a great deal of meta-commentary about how nostalgia sells, Nick’s reporting acts as a vehicle for personal expression and reflection with just a hint of cynicism as if it were a hard-boiled private eye from a pulp magazine from the 1930s.
Even though Nick has recurring clients who want to relive their past over and over instead of living in the present, as well as state contracts to use his reminiscence machine to review questionable memories for various cases, he barely makes enough of business to keep the lights on. Bored and going through the motions, Nick injects his subjects with a sleep serum, places them in a water tank, and guides their meditations with his voice while saving their memories to discs for his records.
Everything changes for Nick when he is about to close up shop for the day, and Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) comes in, begging him to let her get treatment so she can find her missing keys. Through a shaky timeline, we learn that Nick and Mae were romantically involved before she suddenly disappeared. Distraught and depressed, Nick repeatedly turns himself to the reminiscence machine so that he can find clues that will help him find Mae.
Romance with a hint of Crime Drama
Although Mae’s disappearance is the main conflict in A memorya new investigation opens involving a drug kingpin named Saint Joe (Daniel Wu), a corrupt cop named Cyrus Booth (Cliff Curtis), and a highly addictive substance called baca. Nick’s main objective is to reunite with Mae through the reminiscence machine, but as he digs deeper into the recesses of his own memories, he learns that Mae’s presence permeates the rest of his investigation. Not knowing if Mae is leaving clues to sign for help, or sending him on a wild goose chase, Nick slowly unravels as he tries to make sense of his own memories, and those of his suspects.
We Have a Home Start
Channeling serious ones A beginning energy, A memory has all the elements of a thought-provoking tech-thriller, but gets lost in the weeds by its third act. As Nick’s obsession with Mae continues to consume his being, the line between his memories and real life becomes blurred to the point of confusing the narrative. Still, it’s worth noting that the flashback sequences are stunning vignettes that tap into the nostalgia one feels when looking back fondly on better days, even if only a lie and we tell ourselves the good times themselves.
A memory It was a total box office bomb at the time of its release, but it’s a visually stunning film that tries to ask some serious questions about the past, the people we care about, and how our perception really depends on our current position and state of mind. In other words, if you look deep into your past for clues, chances are you’ll find them whether they’re real or not because you want to see them so badly .
A memory is currently streaming on Max, and it’s worth a watch if you’re okay with third-act disappointment after quite a bit of existential build-up.
