Z/Web

Author: Andy Kaufman

Brilliant film. It’s about a guy who has a doctor erase the memories of his ex-girlfriend. What’s brilliant is the way this is portrayed, because the guy is semi-conscious during the process and changes his mind, trying to escape from the erasing process by hiding in various memories. It’s like a dream-world where various memories are relived and overlap. For instance, in one scene he merges a childhood memory of a rainy day and it begins to rain in his living room. Such intriguing visuals make for a compelling story. There really are two stories, the “escape” story within memory-land, and what’s happening with the doctor and his assistants as they perform the procedure. These stories merge into a terrific ending. The film’s a little long and slow, especially at the beginning — it could be have edited down a good ten or twenty minutes. But it’s a brilliant concept from Kaufman and makes for a wild, entertaining ride. I’ve been studying and thinking about Philip K. Dick recently and I just know he would have loved this (all of his stuff deals with identity and the validity of memories).

Too predictable — the trailer spoils all the secrets. It’s a great concept, though the title’s lame. (It’s based on a novel called “Morality Play” and that would have been a better title.) Set in medieval Europe, we begin with a defrocked priest who’s hiding a secret and seeking redemption. Escaping the authorities, he winds up with a band of actors, who end up in a town where a deaf-mute woman has just been sentenced to death for murdering a boy. The troup decides to perform a play of the murder, but soon learn that the woman is innocent. A new play, based on the truth the authorities don’t want revealed, is then presented, with the priest sacrificing himself for the truth. It’s a great concept, terrifically acted and photographed, but the story’s slim considering topic, and while much of it is designed to show profoundness, nothing much profound is really revealed. Worth seeing just for the concepts, but too predictable to be a great film.