The Memory Shop (2019)

Directed by: Christiaan Neu | 17 minutes | short film, drama | Actors: Katelijne Damen, Lucas Van den Eynde, Herman Gilis, Lena Suijkerbuijk, Spencer Bogaert

‘The Memory Shop’ is a short Flemish film, which rubs against the universe in which ‘Abre los ojos’ or the remake ‘Vanilla Sky’, ‘Total Recall’ and ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ also take place: a world in which a company provides services related to people’s memory using advanced technologies. In ‘The Memory Shop’ we meet Lima (Katelijne Damen), a middle-aged woman. She is visiting her demented husband Paul (Herman Gilis). She barely gets in touch with him.

Since it is a special day for the couple, Lima has made an appointment at The Memory Shop. Here you pay a hefty amount for literally reliving a beloved memory. That goes many levels beyond virtual reality, but it might look a bit like it. Lima reassures the slick salesman that it is very important that she actually gets the downloaded memory, because she wants to give it as a present. The salesman, Andy (Lucas Van den Eynde), reassures her and prepares everything for Lima.

‘The Memory Shop’ proves that we still don’t have to rely 100% on technology. Lima’s plan doesn’t go the way she expected. She returns to Paul empty-handed.

The idea behind ‘The Memory Shop’ is intriguing and lends itself to exciting science fiction thrillers. It shows guts that the filmmaker has opted for a small-scale drama that takes place in this world. That does mean that the expectations of some viewers may be too high.