Found Memories

The Beauty Of Silence: A Quietly Powerful Character Piece From Brazil
Without a doubt, I haven't seen a quieter movie than "Found Memories" in quite some time. This intriguing Brazilian film unfolds like a surreal dream, but it requires a certain patience for its payoff. As very little is explained, I found myself attempting to fill in the pieces of its rather enigmatic characters. While it's easy to accept everything in the movie at a surface level, I found almost supernatural undertones as the story unfolded. Perhaps I'm crazy, and that might be the case, but I read a lot into "Found Memories" whether director Julia Murat intended me to or not. The movie has a silent power and it was quite a while before I realized just how swept up in the film I was. And ultimately, I was surprised that this nearly wordless endeavor drew me so deeply into my own head!

The tale itself is rather simple and unremarkable. In the rural village of Jotuomba, life has settled into a very ordinary routine. We meet a stoic baker, Madalena, who bakes bread, lives in...

Exquisite... "I've Never Heard So Much Silence"
This the latest release in the on-going library of Film Movement, which puts out foreign and indie movie that otherwise would never get a chance for a US release. I recently subscribed to the monthly DVD release and got this a few days ago (and the movie is shown in a few art houses as well).

"Found Memories" (2011 release from Brazil; 97 min.) brings the story of "a city that time forgot", in this case a far away city in Brazil (some hours away from Rio), where we see one elderly woman (Madalena) go about her business: get up in the middle of the night, make bread, take it to the coffee shop where she has the same argument everyday with the coffee shop owner, go to church, have lunch, take care of the (closed) local semitary. Then one day, out of the blue a young woman named Rita (I'm guessing mid-20s) arrives and wants to stay a few days. Rita asks Madalena if she can stay at her house and Madalena reluctantly agrees. Eventually these two women form a bond...

Live the experience
Found Memories is my new obsession! I don't usually seek out highbrow art house movies but this film is simply fascinating. The deliberate pace coupled with striking visuals and brilliant cinematography adds to the beauty of the film.
Subtle and powerful, Found Memories brings you on a journey of discovery where all your preconceptions are challenged. Found Memories is not only a smart, poignant and moving film, it's an experience.

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