Memory can be a complicated matter. While some offer recollections of warm feelings, safe moments, and jubilant times, others can conjure up points of trauma, fear, and hardship. No matter how hard we may try to forget the latter, our brains hold onto the adversity just as much, if not more, than the triumphs of our lives. Recollection, written and directed by Caden Butera, explores the reasons why the human psyche wants to forget pain instead of embracing it.
Kate (Rosslyn Luke) works for Vitality Industries – a company that offers the innovation of memory cleansing, where participants can partake in a painless, quick procedure that removes difficult and unsavory ones from their brains. While, in theory, this may sound like an ideal scenario for anyone wanting to completely forget problematic times, the process is harshly regulated by the corporation. As the movie goes on, it’s clear that this is a much more mandatory practice than an elective one.
Despite this, Kate willingly goes through with these cleansings multiple times a day, completely wiping away even minor inconveniences she experiences. This causes confusion with her and others in her life, as she often doesn’t remember moments and conversations she’s had with them. Regardless, she fully embraces and supports what her company does. When an unexpected glitch causes her to suddenly remember a flood of memories that reveal an entire former life she once lived, she’s forced to face the trauma and grief associated with them.
She soon finds herself the target of Vitality’s efforts to reclaim these resurfaced recollections, and goes on the run with Teddy (Falk Hentschel), who has his own interest in her recently uncovered flashbacks. Together, they race to find answers they both desperately need, while being chased by the company responsible for all of it.
Recollection raises several interesting moral quandaries about identity, psychological healing, and the human need to erase painful experiences. Set in the year 2033, it also has a heavy layer of Black Mirror -esque Sci-Fi intrigue that helps move the first half of the film along at a steady clip. The concept for the story itself is a gripping one that will surely make any viewer pause and consider what they would do in that situation.
The biggest downfall comes from an editing perspective, in that the second half of the movie quickly loses momentum in both pacing and cohesiveness. While Kate and Teddy are both interesting characters (and Luke and Hentschel deliver impressive performances), there’s a lot going on with their individual objectives, all while being hunted by those from Vitality who are out to get them. At just about two hours, the runtime makes the story feel bloated and plodding, especially with several meandering subplots.
In this way, Recollection loses much of the focus that makes the core idea compelling. It could easily have been trimmed down by 30 or so minutes to deliver a much more gripping watch. Regardless, the overall message of mental health, overcoming grief, and the consequences of not dealing with suffering is thoughtfully done in a way that will likely linger with the audience.
