Film Reviews - Paris Memories (2022)

In the aftermath of a devastating terrorist attack, the world grieves. The names and faces of those who have lost their lives are mourned and ed. Yet whilst we think of those who have sadly left us, how much thought do we give to those left behind?

Written and directed by Alice Winocour, Paris Memories (Revoir Paris) considers that very premise. The film stars Virginie Efira as Mia. Three months ago, Mia stopped by a bistro for glass of wine and suddenly and violently found herself caught up in a terrorist attack. Unable to recall exactly what happened, Mia is traumatised and unable to move forward with her life. In an attempt to gain some sort of closure, Mia begins to retrace her steps of that fateful night and investigate what truly happened to her and those who also survived the attack.

Paris Memories is a juxtaposition of a film. Throughout there are beautiful shots of Paris, a city that is so often associated with love and art and beauty. Alongside this are the terrifying moments of the attack itself – images of violence and terror and horror. The worse of humanity is displayed, humans who hurt and kill. Alongside the best of humanity, humans who protect and . Paris Memories places all these images next to each other and whilst this could have felt jarring to the audience, it does not feel that way at all. Rather this is a film that understands deeply what it is to be human and all the facets of humanity.

The film also explores memory and how fragile and precious our memories are. Often memories are fragmented and like pieces of a puzzle. Sometimes all the pieces are there, and it is easy to see the bigger picture, yet just as often we do not possess all the pieces and so the picture is incomplete. When trying to piece a memory together that is born of trauma and devastation, like Mia is, it is a far harder process. Throughout the film, the audience empathises greatly with Mia. She could be any one of us. This empathy is intensified by an incredible central performance from Efira. Though Mia is going through terrible pain, both mental and physical, she is rarely overt in her emotions even though she quite rightly could be. Instead, Efira uses micro expressions to show her pain and grief giving a wonderfully nuanced performance that is somehow even more upsetting.

Paris Memories is an incredibly evocative and poignant portrait of what it means to live through a terrorist attack, what it means to explore trauma and what it means to seek closure when perhaps there can be none. The film’s score enhances its poignancy, and the performances give the film a raw realism. Haunting, thought provoking and devastating, Paris Memories is a film that will linger for a long time after the credits have rolled.