‘Memory’: The Light at the Tunnel’s End

Filmmaker Franco’s intense character study cuts long and deep.

Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) and Sylvia (Jessica Chastain), in “Memory.” Ketchup Entertainment

R | 1h 40 min | Drama, Romance, Mystery | 2023

In most of his past efforts (“Chronic,” “New Order,” “Daniel and Ana,” “Sundown”), Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco cuts not only to, but thoroughly through, the bone. His films are shredded and raw: festering and throbbing open wounds with some salt on the side where no one is left off the hook. To put it mildly, his movies bring with them limited appeal, but all are honest portrayals of the human condition. They’re not pretty, but they’re pure.