At the end of the school reunion, Sylvia is followed home by Saul. Initially horrified, Sylvia soon learns that Saul is in fact suffering from an early form of dementia. Over the following weeks, Sylvia and Saul grow closer. While she is haunted by painful memories that hinder her development, he is still lucid enough to be aware of her brain which is disintegrating. Hence the unlikely friendship that emerges between Sylvia and Saul. The latter is aptly named by Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard memory.
Written and directed by Michel Franco Después de Lucia), memory An interesting, delicate and unpredictable plot weaves. Indeed, we often think we are seeing this or that twist coming, but every time, the filmmaker defies expectations. This, by refusing to resort to any clichéd development or hackneyed situation.
For example, when, early in the film, Sylvia reveals that she was assaulted during her teenage years, perhaps by Saul, we see the emergence of a revenge story similar to the others. Well no: memory Goes in a completely different direction (Saul was transferred to his school after the fact).
The film instead paints two portraits of human beings who have reached the point of existence of no return. Sylvia, an alcoholic who has been sober for thirteen years, the age of her daughter (Brooke Timber), whom she is raising alone, realizes that freedom from the past is not only desirable, but necessary.
The rift between Sylvia and her more financially affluent sister (Merritt Weaver) must be cleared up once and for all. For the toxicity emanating from his mother (Jessica Harper), saturation point has been reached.
For his part, Saul, who is a widower, must mourn his own person, because between two flashes of fierceness, his identity grows a little more dim each day. On the family front, he also has his share of trials. In fact, her brother and legal guardian (Josh Charles) do not share their views on what is best for her.
Another aspect that unites Sylvia and Saul is that although they are both surrounded by other people, they are no less isolated.
Significant details
Michel Franco doesn’t highlight any of these many parallels, preferring to observe his protagonist as their encounter secretly transforms them both.
Moreover, the perceptive power of his staging, with its profusion of wide shots that seem mostly too refined, rests on his extreme attention to significant detail.
Take this chilling confrontation between Sylvia and her mother, who has always refused to believe her. Franco chooses a wide shot that looks like a family photo. Everyone stands up, but after sitting down, Sylvia suddenly dominates everyone, starting with her mother. Her mother who gives her back to us, and who, by going against Sylvia, temporarily hides her from our view: she literally makes her daughter invisible by trying to silence her (Jessica Harper, cult actress Suspiriais brief, but attractive).
This scene evokes the same kind of emotional release as the mother-daughter confrontation between Anne Hathaway and Debra Winger. Rachel is getting married (Rachel’s wedding).
Another main passage: the photo album, where Saul’s late wife is found. She was a redhead like Sylvia. Why did he follow her on that famous evening? Because he thought, confused, that he recognized his beloved dead? Here again, Franco implies without explaining anything.
Brio by Jessica Chastain
Peter Sarsgaard, winner of the Best Actor award at Venice, makes a notable appearance Kinsey And The Lost Daughter (The stolen doll), but which rarely finds itself in the foreground, is excellent. He never overdoes it in a role that, by its very nature, can be vulnerable to game effects.
Academy Award winner for Best Actress for Tammy Faye’s eyes (Tammy Faye’s eyes), Jessica Chastain for her remarkable nuances. no stars tree of life (tree of life) and of Zero Dark Thirty (Operation before dawn) will try to play wrong or it will not succeed.
Yet… this is a performance that commands restraint and interiority, and which, like the staging, reveals its brilliance only in retrospect, as it may have become – yes – embedded in our memory.
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