Memory

As discomfort lingers beneath the surface, the intimate drama Memory finds hope and catharsis in ways that aren’t easily forgotten.

Generating character-driven tension for those who buy into the contrived premise, the latest from acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco (New Order) navigates tricky thematic territory thanks to a pair of fully committed performances.

Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) is a recovering alcoholic and single mother serving as a social worker at a psychiatric facility. She’s lured to a high school reunion by her sister (Merritt Wever), where Sylvia glances at Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) and flees to the subway in fear.

Their first encounter takes on the feel of a stalker thriller and triggers a neurotic episode after Saul seems to silently follow her home. When his beleaguered brother, Isaac (Josh Charles), discovers him still slumped over the next morning on her doorstep, Sylvia learns that Saul has advanced dementia.

That’s of little consolation, since she still blames him for a traumatic incident from their school days.

Realizing she will never get the closure she needs, she tracks him down as a form of vengeance. “You deserve being the way you are,” she exclaims, still not convinced.

Their relationship takes another turn after Isaac’s daughter (Elsie Fisher) suggests cash-strapped Sylvia use her skill set as Saul’s part-time caretaker, an agreement she reluctantly accepts.

From there, Franco’s multilayered screenplay gradually fills in the details of their troubled past that also changes our perspective. Is it Sylvia whose recollections are, in fact, fuzzy?

They find common ground in their shared sense of emotional vulnerability, but their circumstances become complicated when other family members become impacted.

As the dynamics between them evolve, the film probes her insecure headspace as part of a broader examination of the uncertainty in all of our memories and how they shift over time.

Sarsgaard (The Sound of Silence) and the film avoid exploiting Saul’s affliction as a plot device — his obsession with listening to “Whiter Shade of Pale” on repeat is a nice touch. Meanwhile, Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye) offers a compassionate, empathetic portrayal of a broken woman seeking a fresh start.

Even as the film emphasizes melodrama over a more nuanced study of psychological scars or mental illness, the haunting Memory leaves a lasting impression.

Rated R, 103 minutes.