In director/writer Claudia Sparrow’s feature fantasy romance, I Remember You, a medical research scientist named Leah (Stephanie Butler ) saves a young actor, Samuel (Joe Egender), from drowning in the ocean. Samuel is badly shaken by his near-death experience and goes through a very difficult time afterward. When he meets up with Leah for tea later, they both begin to have an odd nagging sensation that they’ve met before somewhere, even before the accident. This connection pulls them into a strangely familiar romantic attachment.
Long walks on the beach later, they begin to suspect that they have met in a previous life and share a past they are now beginning to remember. When Leah rejects this notion initially, both of their lives begin to fall apart. As the relationship between the main characters deepens and their past life comes clearly into focus, Leah begins to accept the truth of this kind of reincarnation, and this puts her at ease. She recalls traumatic events in the past that have bound them together across time. Will they both remember when they were together before? What can that mean for a current relationship?
“…both begin to have an odd nagging sensation that they’ve met somewhere, even before the accident…”
The premise is interesting, and the execution is solid. Butler and Egender deliver quality performances as the leads. The idea of pulling fragmented memories into the consciousness isn’t a new one.The concept of reconstructive memory refers to the process of recalling a particular event by connecting fragments of information from a person’s experience with stored knowledge of similar occurrences and cultural influences. In actual practice, the memories don’t come from past life experience.
Sparrow keeps it quiet and slow in this film. All the dialogue is spoken in a soft voice. Samuel is anxious and speaks slowly, pausing over his words. The soundtrack is made of languid chords floating over the scenes. Also, the lights are kept low. Except for the lab where Leah works, the majority of scenes are in darkness. This is an increasingly frequent choice for Indie filmmakers, and it’s not clear why. Perhaps this covers up the fact that there’s not much budget for sets and lighting, but it makes for a less interesting experience for the viewer.
Don’t try to think through the plot. This is more about emotional tone. Key events take place off-camera, and there’s not always a spelled-out cause and effect. Narrative sequential coherence is not the primary focus of I Remember You, and that’s OK, as it’s not that kind of movie. The story is meant to be a metaphorical fable. In a random and uncaring universe, the conviction that one is following a cosmic blueprint and has a destiny in life is comforting, if only for the runtime of a movie. If destiny and romance are your jam, you will find this film to be balm for troubled times.
"…In a random and uncaring universe, the conviction that one is following a cosmic blueprint is comforting..."
