Indie Gems: Rememory

Did we learn nothing from Eternal Sunshine?

Gordon Dunn (Martin Donovan) invented a machine that can take memories from peoples' minds and display them on screen. You can watch a video of your past, always. Is there a part you can't quite remember? Something someone said that you didn't quite catch, well with this machine you can review it. Dunn dies mysteriously and a man named Sam (Peter Dinklage) steals his machine. He's desperate to relive his brother's last words to him. He also gets close to Dunn's widow, Carolyn (Julia Ormond) to learn more.

This is Anton Yelchin's final film. I'm still not over his passing, I probably never will be. His part is small, but very memorable. 

The idea of the rememory machine sounds goofy when you type it out, but on screen it's a fascinating (and terrifying) concept. Dunn essentially had a focus group of people he tested it on, and seeing the contrast of how some of them reacted.

Dinklage gives a great performance, and it's nice to see a film where no one mentions his dwarfism. Not that it's something to be ashamed of, but that usually makes it into the plot in every part he's played. Not here. Ormond is lovely in her role as well. Her grief feels real and I understood why she would speak to Sam in the first place.

While Rememory has a lot of unique ideas, the execution isn't all that great. It is slightly predictable and Sam's motives seem a bit under explored, but over all I enjoyed this. I know critics panned it, but for a Saturday night rental, it works.

Grade: B-

Watched on: Netflix DVD

Memorable Quote: "You fucked up my life." - Todd (Anton Yelchin)