Sundance Review: Peter Dinklage's REMEMORY Is an Ambitious Neo-Noir Film That Doesn't Hit Its Potential
Rememory was one of the films I was most excited to see at Sundance. The brief description I read really stood out to me, and I’m a huge fan of Peter Dinklage. Combined with the fact that this was one of Anton Yelchin’s final films, I was anxious to see it. I think my hopes were too high because I’ll admit I was a little disappointed.
Rememory tells the story of Sam (Dinklage), a lonely model-maker with a regrettable past. He takes it upon himself to solve the mysterious death of Gordon Dunn, who invented a machine that allows people to objectively view their own memories as a form of therapy. This new technology, while highly sought-after, has unforeseen flaws. Sam has to track down and eliminate potential suspects one by one, using their memories to look for clues. He uses his models as a visual layout, a unique take on the wall with photographs and string often seen in crime thrillers.
This film is a neo-noir with an ambitious plot that sometimes gets out of control. There are too many characters, and it felt like no single storyline got the time it deserved. It would have been nice to explore the story a little more in-depth. Because the plot is spread so thin, I felt like I couldn't emotionally connect to any part of this story. I kept thinking how great this story could have been if it were told as a television series.
I will say this, though, the score was fantastic, and Dinklage shines as the lead. I would love to see him in more leading roles. And of course, Yelchin is as good as ever, playing one of the first participants in the testing of the Rememory machine. It was really emotional to see him onscreen again. So while it wasn’t a perfect film by any means, I wouldn’t say pass this one over entirely.