Virtue of Memory | Dante Julian

SYNOPSIS

Virtue of Memory is a 20-minute psychological drama constructed to convey the themes of learning from mistakes and dealing with the consequences of actions. The world of the film features a known practice of individuals having a specific memory erased if it is causing emotional pain. This culture is controversial but not uncommon. The four main characters work together opposite the clinic where this takes place, ridiculing those who enter.

But what will they do when they have something to forget? Soon, they are involved in an incident to the detriment of someone close to them, and are faced with a choice on whether to take responsibility for their actions, or forget, and move on with their lives.

Would you forget your biggest mistake?

Director's Statement

Through Virtue of Memory, I wanted to investigate themes of learning from mistakes, and taking accountability for actions, and the idea that eluding the immediate repercussions of an error leads only to further torment and misfortune.

With this concept in mind, my intention was to create a character-driven drama with strong moral implications, and heavy themes of guilt.

Furthermore, I wanted to explore visualising these emotions through various techniques, and taking inspiration from art movements such as surrealism and expressionism.
Applying principles from these movements enabled me to construct sequences that did not aim to depict reality. Rather, a subjective insight into the guilt and paranoia being experienced by the characters by distorting reality and displaying surreal manifestations of the subconscious.

Working with this cast was special and very rewarding; I learned a lot from them and could not have been happier with how they took to their respective roles, bringing so much to them.

I developed immensely during this process and look forward to applying that experience to future projects, where I aim to continue experimenting with subjectivity.