Following their historic Oscar win for Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, Neon has another hugely-anticipated international film in their hands, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria. Starring Tilda Swinton, Jeanne Balibar, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Juan Pablo Urrego, and Elkin Diaz, with production taking place in Colombia, it marks the Palme d’Or-winning director’s first film shot outside Thailand. Ahead of a likely Cannes premiere and fall release, we’ve got new images and details.
Speaking with La Tempestad, who debuted the images, the director says of Swinton, “We will see her walking a lot, like a ghost. I wrote this movie with her in mind knowing that she is an actress who needs no explanation. In fact, it was she who showed me this character. The experience was very significant and I really appreciate that.”
The director also revealed he may want to head to Mexico for his next project, while also talking about the experience of filming in Colombia for this film, saying, “Here I played the role of a drifting ghost, absorbing movements, light, and sounds. I am aware of political memories, of course, but I am happy to witness what remains. The film is not presented as a political statement. There is no pressure to show the reality of Colombia because I don’t know it. Having no roots is the key here.”
Check out a synopsis, along with additional new images, and be sure to visit La Tempestad for more of the interview.
In the film, Swinton plays an orchid farmer visiting her ill sister in Bogota. While there, she befriends a French archaeologist (Balibar) in charge of monitoring the construction project and a young musician (Diaz). Each night, she is bothered by increasingly loud bangs which prevent her from getting any sleep.
Memoria will arrive later this year.