Review of Ex Memoria

Ex Memoria (2006)
8/10
wow, a short that's actually good
28 August 2006
I caught this at Edinburgh festival and had liked the director's previous film Song Of Songs. Not sure why he's doing a short after a feature, but whatever. I actually preferred this to the feature in many ways, it knew exactly what it was and how it wanted to do it.

The lead actress Sara K playing an old woman with dementia was just superb. The whole film is shot in long, 3 or 4 minute takes that keep her face in the frame throughout the shot while moving along, with other action swimming in and out of focus in the back of shot. So it's a tour de force performance from her and the visuals are virtuouso too, very liquid. The effect is a kind of total immersion in the momentary experience of an old woman in a old people's home. She's haunted by bits of her memory that keep coming back to her.

It's funny at times, unsettling at others. INteresting. Ought to be longer!
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