Synopsis
A young composer moves from Berlin to the island of Ibiza and begins a friendship with an elderly woman whose painful past has caused her to reject everything to do with Germany, including her native language.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Max RiemeltJo
- Marthe KellerMartha Sagell
- Bruno GanzBruno
- Corinna KirchhoffElfriede
- Marie LeuenbergerClarissa
- Fermí ReixachSabater
- Fèlix PonsCosta
- Florentín GrollOtto
- Eva BarcelóPaquita
- Lluís AltésPetrov
Recommendations
- 88
RogerEbert.com
It is reported that this movie’s scenario was inspired by the life of Schroeder’s own mother, and the film has a personal tone that is not always detectable in his other movies. It enhances a film that’s one of the most thoughtful in his body of work. - 70
Los Angeles Times
While its insights into the consequences of selective memory loss continue to resonate the world over, at its heart, Amnesia is a beautifully acted depiction of confronting regret. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
Barbet Schroeder offers up a touching look at unrequited love and neglected memory with the simpatico two-hander, Amnesia. - 63
Slant Magazine
Amnesia ultimately delivers rich insights about its main characters’ relationship to their backgrounds. - 60
Variety
There are a lot of compelling ideas afloat in “Amnesia” that never fully congeal, but the undeniable sincerity and personal commitment of Schroeder’s vision help to carry the film over its rough patches. - 58
The A.V. Club
Schroeder was reportedly inspired to make Amnesia as a tribute to his mother, who left Germany not long after the Nazis came to power and never wanted to return; he even shot the film in the house where she lived for many years (which was also a major location in his 1969 debut, More). But neither he nor his co-writers managed to prevent their ostensible subtext from swamping the text. - 50
The New York Times
Amnesia, Mr. Schroeder has said, is a story partly based on his mother, who refused to speak German, so perhaps it’s no surprise that it’s strongest when it focuses on Martha, a character Ms. Keller inhabits gracefully. - 50
Village Voice
Under Schroeder’s direction, Keller and Riemelt deliver wistful, earnest performances that almost make up for the script’s shortcomings.
