Remembrance. (Short Takes).

2001 18m prod Fleck Films, OMOC Calling Card Program, p Paula Fleck, d Stephanie Morgenstern, so Stephanie Morgenstern, Mark Ellis; with Stephanie Morgenstern, Mark Ellis.

In addition to being an impressive presence in front of the camera in films such as Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter and Denis Villeneuve's Maelstrom, Stephanie Morgenstem is also a promising director. Her second directorial effort, Remembrance, locates itself nicely alongside Alfred Hitchcock's The Thirty--Nine Steps and Jorge Luis Borges's short story "Funes the Memorious" in its exploration of the mysteries of memory. Set in 1942, the film's drama revolves around the relationship between Aurora, a young woman involved in Canadian home--front wartime activities, and Albert, an awkward and innocent man who performs feats of memory in theatres and town halls. While Aurora's approach to Alfred is motivated by patriotism (she wants him to use his talents in the war effort), the attraction goes deeper than mere recruitment. The film ponders the impact of memory on personal identity, political choice and the construction of knowledge itself. A visually sumptuous, stylishly rendered period piece, the thematic rea ch of Remembrance occasionally exceeds its grasp, especially when the Alfred / Aurora relationship begins to falter. This minor concern aside, Morgenstem's film is a thoughtful and (dare I say it?) memorable drama about those nebulous regions to be found between desire and action, memory and knowledge, the personal and the professional.