Written and directed by Mark Palansky who makes his feature film directorial debut, Rememory is packed with high concepts and is a visually beautiful film, but it very quickly begins to head into the territory of melodrama with its overused mood music, hushed voices, and broken, one-dimensional characters. Dinklage does give a standout performance with the little he is given to work with turning his Sam Bloom into someone we really do want to find out more about, unfortunately, by the time we get to the twist ending we’re pretty taxed by all the slow-motion, memory flashbacks, and saccharine platitudes on life.
Rememory is caught between wanting to be a sci-fi murder mystery thriller and a drama about coping with life and what memories mean in all of that. Perhaps if Palansky had chosen one path or the other, it would have been a stronger film, because he shows a lot of potential behind the camera and as a writer.
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The Video
Rememory arrives on Blu-ray in a 2.40:1 framed AVC 1080p encodement from Lionsgate. Aside from some vague banding in some sky shots, this is a strong transfer with beautiful contrast, deep blacks and bright whites. There are a few areas where some noise can be spotted in the darker scenes, but it hardly takes away from the overall pleasing appearance. This is not a film that really ‘pops’ with color give the mostly desaturated palette, but it’s a fine presentation overall nevertheless.
The Audio
Rememory comes with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack as the sole audio option on the Blu-ray Disc. It’s a simple mix that is front-heavy and has some mild atmospherics in the surround channels with the ambient, electronic score getting the most movement and discrete panning. Stereo effects across the front are good, but subtle still and dialogue is clear, which is what you want for a quiet, dialogue-driven film such as this.
The Supplements
There isn’t much included here, but the audio commentary is a welcome bonus and the thoughtful featurette on the film and memories is an interesting half-hour watch.
- Audio commentary with writer/director Mark Palansky and actor Peter Dinklage
- The Memories We Keep (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:31:59)
The Final Assessment
Rememory falls in that film purgatory of being neither awful nor awfully good. It’s an okay film that makes you think, but also trips itself up with indirection and melodrama. The lead performance by Peter Dinklage and the direction are handled well and the visual style is eye-catching, which bodes well for this first time feature director.
Rememory is out now on Blu-ray + Digital HD from Lionsgate
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