-Written by Kyle Bain.
Ziad (Mazen Haj Kassem) wakes up every morning, speaks to his pet bird, gets on the bus, and goes about a normal day–just like anyone else. However, Full Memory slowly unfolds a past that Ziad may not have come to terms with yet. And as the film moves forward, Ziad is forced to face his past, and a series of events that are life altering.
Filmed almost entirely in black and white helps to set the tone of Full Memory, and it allows that tone to shine through, in spades, through just about the entirety of the film. The use of black and white develops something somber, heavily emotional. And throughout nearly the entirety of the film Director Adolf El Assal continues to pound this drum, bringing emotion to the surface and allowing viewers to feel a pain that Ziad isn’t yet aware of. I think that idea is brilliant–we know something that the only character in the film doesn’t yet know, and it gives us power, gives us responsibility within the film, gives us something to root for. When viewers have something like that, it’s rare that a film fails to make waves, fails to entertain viewers. Full Memory is no exception to that rule, and I found myself playing along, falling in love with the narrative from the start–only to be crushed by the end in the best ways.
In this short film things move quickly, not really giving viewers much time to read the subtitles on screen. However, what feels like a film where the protagonist is stuck in a time loop (he isn’t, but Full Memory is presented in a similar fashion to the films of that nature) allows viewers to revisit integral moments in the film, in Ziad’s narrative (both past and present). Constantly revisiting certain moments has the potential to be frustrating or simply redundant–however, the fast pace of the film allows viewers to move through without being overwhelmed by the same thing time and time again. We are able to revisit certain moments, but each time they become more concise, more pointed, and more effective.
I previously mentioned that we know something that Ziad does not. We know something negative has happened, or at least we assume so–though we are never given the exact details of Ziad’s struggles (at least until the conclusion of the film). It’s important that we are given information little by little, eased into Ziad’s story before him, without being given too much so that we become bored with the film. Full Memory, again, moves quickly–but it’s paced effectively in the sense that it allows this character’s story to be brought to life in the best way possible. Honestly, Assal paces his film masterfully–in a way that even some blockbuster films should take some notes on.
By the end of the film, when everything is said and done—the only thing that you’re really worried about as a viewer is whether or not you’re able to connect with Ziad emotionally. Well, can you? The answer is “yes–” and if you can’t then you’re insane. Between Kassem’s spectacular performance and the direction of Assal, there’s no way that emotion shouldn’t reach you effectively. Full Memory is a hard-hitting, emotionally-relevant film that works in a series of ways. It’s incredibly pointed and moves along quickly–but everything is done to the benefit of the film as a whole. You won’t want to miss this.
Directed by Adolf El Assal.
Written by Adolf El Assal & Mazen Haj Kassem.
Starring Mazen Haj Kassem, etc.
8.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING
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