The Colombian film Memoria, the latest film by Thai Palme d’Or winning director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, was announced as the Best Film of 2021 according to prestigious magazine Film Comment, based on its annual poll between critics, programmers, and filmmakers.
“Of all the mysterious objects engineered by Apichatpong, Memoria may be the most enigmatic—and, through a masterstroke of sonic design, the most transfixing” says the magazine on the film that was selected by the Colombian Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences as the South American country’s official submission for best international feature film competition at the 94th edition of the Academy Awards.
Boasting an international cast including Tilda Swinton, Elkin Díaz, Jeanne Balibar, Juan Pablo Urrego, Agnes Brekke and Daniel Giménez Cacho, the film had its world premiere in the official competition at the 74th edition of the Cannes Film Festival last July, where it won the Jury Prize. The bewildering drama follows Jessica, a Scottish botanist (played by Swinton), who, after hearing a loud ‘bang’ at daybreak, begins experiencing a mysterious sensory syndrome while traversing the jungles of Colombia.
