Reminiscence
2021 · Directed by Lisa Joy
Original language: English
- mystery
- science fiction
- thriller
The story
Nicolas Bannister, a rugged and solitary veteran living in a near-future Miami flooded by rising seas, is an expert in a dangerous occupation: he offers clients the chance to relive any memory they desire. His life changes when he meets a mysterious young woman named Mae. What begins as a simple matter of lost and found becomes a passionate love affair. But when a different client's memories implicate Mae in a series of violent crimes, Bannister must delve through the dark world of the past to uncover the truth about the woman he fell for.
What it’s like
Hazy, humid neon bleeding through rain-streaked windows, with Miami rendered as a half-drowned city of flooded streets, shimmering reflections and warm amber interiors that feel stale and close. Long slow dolly shots drift through cramped rooms and across black water, while the memory sequences shift into saturated, dreamlike glow that makes the past feel both seductive and unreliable. The score is a low, pulsing synth bed under soft piano, with long pauses where rain and distant traffic do the talking. Its vibe is melancholy noir with a bruised romantic ache, best suited to a late night alone or a slow rainy evening. The pacing is deliberate, almost hypnotic, and the emotional register is sombre and grief-touched, following a weary, self-isolating man who slowly loosens his grip on the past as he is drawn into a woman's unsettling secret. Intensity is moderate: there are murders and a few sharp, brief bursts of violence, some drug use and a sensual love story, but the threat lingers more than it erupts. It suits viewers who want atmospheric tech noir, mood over action, and a bittersweet, hopeless undertow.
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