Sylvia (Chastain) is a recovered alcoholic (sober 13 years) and sexual abuse survivor who lives with her only daughter, Anna (Timber).  Reluctantly attending her high school reunion, she falsely accuses as attendee, Saul (Sarsgaard), of abusing her as a teenager.  Once the “mix up” is cleared, Sylvia learns that Saul has early onset dementia.  His wealthy family provides Sylvia some much-needed cash in return for looking after Saul during the day and as they spend more time together, romance ensues.

Memory is difficult to believe.  It comes across as a strange, contrived story that you struggle to think could ever happen in the real world (perhaps I’m wrong).  While the narrative is a battle, it’s filled with a bunch of great individual scenes which help compensate.  The three headline performances of Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Peter Sarsgaard (Shattered Glass), and Meritt Weaver (Nurse Jackie), as Sylvia’s younger sister, also boost the material.

There’s a moment when Sylvia’s young niece asks why she doesn’t drink alcohol, and it starts a discussion about what age it’s appropriate to be talking about alcoholism and one’s troubled past.  Sylvia’s brother-in-law (Charles) quickly shuts the conversation down.  While Sylvia talks about her troubles with booze, she’s less open about the sexual abuse she experienced during her childhood.  It leads to conflict with her own daughter who can’t understand why her mum is so guarded and protective.  The situation becomes more complicated when Sylvia’s estranged mother (Harper) forces her way back into their lives.

It’s these sequences about parenting, honesty, and dealing with trauma which resonate most strongly.  I was less sold on the romantic interplay between Sylvia and Saul which is too much of a focus.  Winner of best actor at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival for Sarsgaard and nominated for best actress at the 2023 Independent Spirit Awards for Chastain, it’s taken over a year for it to reach Australian shores.  Written and directed by Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco (After Lucia, Sundown), Memory is well-intentioned but a little unfulfilling.