A powerful, raw film, Memory stars Peter Sarsgaard as Saul, a man with early onset dementia. Opposite him, Jessica Chastain plays Sylvia, a recovering alcoholic with her own past traumas deeply buried. They’re two actors at the top of their game; as far as Sarsgaard’s turn goes, it’s one of the most compelling and nuanced takes on dementia you’ll ever see. ‘Peter was good at playing not a dementia character, but a character called Saul that also has dementia,’ says the film’s writer-director Michel Franco. 

In the past, Franco hasn’t shied away from controversy: witness his 2020 drama New Order, which showed political insurrection in his native Mexico. ‘Mostly it’s where I was in life when I wrote each movie,’ he explains. ‘When I wrote Memory, I was in a more peaceful place. I think that’s where this movie comes from. That’s why I try to make a film every year. So the movie still reflects where I am in life at that point, and it’s not just a project that I’ve been dragging for five years.’ 

Striving for realism wherever possible, Franco filmed Chastain in a real AA meeting surrounded by those in recovery. In a story that de-glamourises his actors, he even encouraged her to shop for her character’s clothes (at discount store Target). ‘Jessica is very active making those decisions. I never impose,’ he says, although you suspect he’s gently steering his actors towards a film that swerves cliché wherever possible.

When Memory premiered at the Venice Film Festival last September, Sarsgaard won Best Actor. ‘For me, the best thing would have been that they got Best Actor and Actress,’ Franco adds. ‘And to me that would have made sense and would have been beautiful. But we’re so happy for Peter. And at the end, it’s a recognition and celebration of the film and the work. So we’re very happy.’

Memory is in cinemas from Friday 23 February.