Pris Memories (alice Wincocour)

Paris Memories (Alice Winocour)

Trauma is not a linear experience. You have the moment, the shock, and the survival denial at the time. But as items filter and persist. Some would argue repression, and others would say everything at their own pace. Alice captures that while exploring the growing internal diaspora of Western cities, heightened with such capital as Paris.

Our lead through the film is Mia. as much a witness as a victim of a wisely unexplored mass shooting in an affluent, probably left bank restaurant. The story is not about the attackers; it’s about the survivors, incidental people whose only importance is their very lives.

Virginie Efre gives great range to Mia. Initially, a classically strong female lead. A city woman with specialist skills, as someone who lived in France and managed barely 6% in his Russian exam, I feel confident in saying the expectations and lack of support there are hard enough without the demands of such a specialism. As Mia explores her memories through social media and the memories of others, the cast is a revolving example of the symptoms in terms of mental health. Sadly almost trophy so at points.

Once we p[ast the initial shock, false memories and suggestibility, there is an excellent exploration opening up, but Daddy is too close to the denouement.
We briefly examine the world of the migrants and undocumented within Paris, the invisible and the treatment of black people within the city. But to get there, we must invest in her relationship with her doctor boyfriend. The idea that the levied experience of surviving a mass shooting is enough to break a relationship feels lacking, given how lacking he is from the outset. , Similarly, the most levity comes from fellow survivor Thomas, who, while physically in the most need of recuperations, seems, initially, the survivor with the most fortitude. The attraction through trauma is bordering cliche. , Similarly, a mild arc with Mia becoming an ersatz mother figure to a young daughter whose parents died is overplayed, and both could have been curtailed as we reach a resolution and acceptance of survival.

Survivor’s guilt is a harsh experience. The need to validate and the sense of inadequacy is played well throughout the film, as is the classic need to connect in the most desperate times.

It’s an enjoyable film. But it allows the tragedy to overwhelm the absurdity of survival in the middle act leading to a sluggish and uneven feeling.

It’s a matinee film and worth your time on a Sunday of thoughtfulness.