Tilda Swinton’s career is fascinating. I would argue that no one has seamlessly transitioned between indies and blockbusters better than her. I mean, look at Swinton’s 2019: she appeared in the second highest-grossing movie ever, a Jim Jarmusch zombie comedy, Armando Iannucci’s re-telling of a Charles Dickens novel, Joanna Hogg’s BAFTA-nominated The Souvenir, and you can hear her voice in Uncut Gems. This year, she’ll play the Fairy with Turquoise Hair in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio movie for Netflix and she’s the lead role in Memoria, the latest mind-bending film from director Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives).
“We will see her walking a lot, like a ghost,” Weerasethakul said about working with Swinton. “I wrote this movie with her in mind knowing that she is an actress who needs no explanation. In fact, it was she who showed me this character. The experience was very significant and I really appreciate that.” You can watch the Memoria trailer above.
Here’s the official plot synopsis:
From the extraordinary mind of Palme D’or winning director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and starring Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton, comes a bewildering drama about a Scottish woman, who, after hearing a loud “bang” at daybreak, begins experiencing a mysterious sensory syndrome while traversing the jungles of Colombia.
Memoria, which also stars Jeanne Balibar, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Juan Pablo Urrego, and Elkin Diaz, debuts at the Cannes Film Festival on July 15, followed by a theatrical release later this year.
