73
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The GuardianLeslie FelperinThe GuardianLeslie FelperinEdited with minute attentiveness, the film switches back and forth between time periods adroitly in a way that always moves the story forward, while the outstanding performances from the whole ensemble, especially the watchful Vauthier and the fierce Issa, anchor the film.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThe Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungAmong other things, the film is an extremely dense fusion of elements that make up our sense of time and memories, including collages of hundreds of old photos, grainy super 8 footage, notebooks, songs and music, sound bites and newspaper articles.
- 80VarietyJay WeissbergVarietyJay WeissbergThrough an ingenious blend of image and music, Memory Box opens channels that allow our own experience to empathetically blend with those of the characters in a mix of imagination and reality.
- 80The Observer (UK)Simran HansThe Observer (UK)Simran HansHadjithomas and Joreige thoughtfully explore trauma while remaining joyful, animating Maia’s photos, which fizz, crackle and dance to life on screen.
- 75IndieWireJude DryIndieWireJude DryBlurring the lines between past and present, Memory Box floats in and out of two parallel stories, never quite allowing either one to take hold. As the focus shifts from daughter to mother, the audience is caught in the middle. Much like memory itself, the threads never fully coalesce until the very end.
- 70Little White LiesSteph GreenLittle White LiesSteph GreenDespite a prioritisation of visual effects over story, Memory Box makes a compelling case for chronicling the big and small parts of your life, if only to share with generations to come.
- 70Screen DailyAllan HunterScreen DailyAllan HunterAs truths are shared, revelations uncovered and reunions achieved, Memory Box becomes a warming tale of truth and reconciliation.
- 70The New York TimesDevika GirishThe New York TimesDevika GirishThe relationship between mother and daughter is rather thinly etched — there’s a little too much going on in this ambitious, intergenerational film — but Hadjithomas and Joreige deftly use Maia’s archive to weave together past and present.
- 67The Film StageOrla SmithThe Film StageOrla SmithMemory Box is at its strongest in its first half, when Alex steals objects from the box that she’s been forbidden to look at, and her imaginings about her mother’s youth are visualized on screen through mixed media animation.
- 60EmpireSophie Monks KaufmanEmpireSophie Monks KaufmanThe marriage of abstract existential themes, immersive, tactile images and dual timelines is always impressive but only occasionally moving.