Worth: $18.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Virginie Efira, Benoît Magimel, Grégoire Colin
Intro:
… a haunting, beautiful film of understated power …
Director and co-writer Alice Winocour has based Paris Memories on the real life experiences of her brother, who survived the deadly 2015 terrorist attack on Paris’s Bataclan theatre, resulting in difficult and potentially depressing subject matter handled with care, compassion and even hope.
Virginie Efira (Benedetta) is Mia. She is in a relationship with a doctor, Vincent (Grégoire Colin), and works as a Russian translator. One evening, she is eating out with Vincent when he gets a call from the hospital to return to work. Left with a barely eaten meal, Mia decides to leave and jumps on her Triumph motorbike as a storm hits. She takes shelter in a different eatery and sits alone with a glass of white, observing those around her. Over at another table, a man celebrating his birthday notices her – he is Thomas (a magnetic Benoît Magimel), who will later become significant.
As Mia prepares to leave, she gathers her helmet and backpack just as a woman nearby is also leaving – she motions to the woman, “go ahead”, Mia says casually. The woman and her companion walk ahead of Mia. Suddenly there is the sound of gunfire. The pair in front of Mia collapse. Mia is frozen for an extended moment, realises what is happening and takes cover …
During the attack, a stranger held Mia’s hand and the film centres on her search for this man as well as her relationship with fellow-survivor Thomas, as she also searches for the jigsaw pieces to complete her memory puzzle.
Paris Memories (a lazy translation from the original French Revoir Paris, which more closely translates as ’To see Paris again’) is an exploration of survivor guilt, trauma and memory. Winocour (Proxima) handles this with such a delicate touch and a dash of social commentary – the stranger who held Mia’s hand was an immigrant, and as Mia searches for him, she sees something of the immigrant experience, and their poverty is contrasted against her comfortable life.
Efira gives a subtle, note perfect performance, without telegraphing the character’s emotions, we always know what she’s feeling. Her internal struggle is poignant. We also see how the attack affects other survivors of the carnage on that stormy night – and at the core of this film is Mia’s connections with others as the distance between her and Vincent grows.
There are some beautifully realised scenes about meaning, memories and truth. It’s a haunting, beautiful film of understated power that takes a hold on you and lingers.
