The Eternal Memory

The Eternal Memory
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMaite Alberdi
Screenplay byMaite Alberdi
Produced by
CinematographyPablo Valdés
Edited byCarolina Siraqyan
Music by
  • Miguel Miranda
  • José Miguel Tobar
Production
companies
  • Micromundo
  • Fabula
Distributed byMTV Documentary Films
Release dates
  • 21 January 2023 (2023-01-21) (Sundance)
  • 24 August 2023 (2023-08-24) (Chile)
Running time
85 minutes[1]
Country
  • Chile
LanguageSpanish
Box office$120,794[2][3]

The Eternal Memory (Spanish: La memoria infinita) is a 2023 Chilean documentary film directed by Maite Alberdi. The film follows the relationship of Chilean journalist Augusto Góngora and Chilean actress Paulina Urrutia. It was selected in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival where it had its world premiere on 21 January 2023 and won the Grand Jury Prize.[4] It received critical acclaim and was named one of the top 5 documentary films of 2023 by the National Board of Review.[5]

The film was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, being Alberdi's second nomination in the category as well as the second Chilean documentary film to be nominated for an Academy Award.[6] It also won Best Ibero-American Film at the 38th Goya Awards.[7]

Plot[edit]

Augusto Góngora and Paulina Urrutia have been a couple for 23 years. Augusto is one of Chile's most prominent cultural journalists and television presenters. His wife, Paulina, affectionately called "Pauli," is an actress who served as Minister of Culture and the Arts of the country from 2006 to 2010. Eight years ago, Augusto was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and since then, Paulina has been caring for him. Throughout his career, Augusto was dedicated to ensuring that the atrocities of the Pinochet dictatorship are not forgotten. Today, it is up to him and his wife to maintain his identity despite the challenges of his illness. Each day, the couple faces the difficulties caused by Alzheimer's disease, but they also maintain the tenderness and sense of humor that bind them together.[8][9]

Cast[edit]

Release[edit]

Festivals[edit]

The film was first screened as a part of the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, premiering on 21 January 2023.[10] At the festival, it won the Grand Jury Prize of the competition.[4] It also screened in the Panorama section at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival where it had its European premiere.[11] It was also invited to the 27th Lima Film Festival for competing in Documentary section, where it was screened on 11 August 2023.[12]

Theatrical[edit]

MTV Documentary Films acquired the distribution rights of the film planning a theatrical release.[13] It had a limited release in US theaters during August 2023 beginning on August 11, 2023, in New York.[14] It was commercially released on August 24, 2023, in Chilean theaters.[15]

Reception[edit]

Critical reception[edit]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 93% based on 68 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10.[16] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 84 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[17]

Guy Lodge from Variety wrote that the film "treats inexorably sad material with a lighter, more lyrical approach than most".[8] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney called the film "a moving chronicle of a marriage challenged by Alzheimer's", finishing his review commenting that the film is "as unexpectedly stirring as it is sorrowful".[18]

Accolades[edit]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Sundance Film Festival 29 January 2023 World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary Competition The Eternal Memory Won [4]
Berlin International Film Festival 25 February 2023 Panorama Audience Award – Documentary Runner-up [19]
Miami International Film Festival 12 March 2023 Documentary Achievement Award Nominated [20]
Guadalajara International Film Festival 9 June 2023 Iberoamerican Competition – Best Documentary Film Nominated [21]
Lima Film Festival 18 August 2023 Best Documentary Nominated [22]
Athens International Film Festival 9 October 2023 Best Documentary Nominated [23]
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards 12 November 2023 Best Documentary Feature Nominated [24]
Best Director Maite Alberdi Nominated
National Board of Review 6 December 2023 Top 5 Documentary Films The Eternal Memory Won[a] [25]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 10 December 2023 Best Documentary Film Runner-up [26]
IndieWire Critics Poll 11 December 2023 Best Documentary 5th Place[b] [27]
New York Film Critics Online Awards 15 December 2023 Best Documentary Won [28]
Forqué Awards 16 December 2023 Best Latin-American Film Won
[29]
Toronto Film Critics Association 17 December 2023 Allan King Documentary Award Runner-up[c] [30]
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards 21 December 2023 Best Documentary Film Runner-up [31][32]
Cinema Eye Honors 12 January 2024 Outstanding Non-Fiction Feature Maite Alberti, Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín and Rocío Jadue Nominated [33]
Outstanding Direction Maite Alberdi Won
Outstanding Editing Carolina Siraqyan Nominated
Audience Choice Prize The Eternal Memory Nominated
The Unforgettables Augusto Góngora and Paulina Urrutia Won
Houston Film Critics Society 22 January 2024 Best Documentary Feature The Eternal Memory Nominated [34]
[35]
Goya Awards 10 February 2024 Best Ibero-American Film Won
[7]
Academy Awards 10 March 2024 Best Documentary Feature Film Maite Alberdi Nominated
[6][36]
Platino Awards 20 April 2024 Best Documentary The Eternal Memory Won
[37]
Film and Values Education Nominated
Best Film Editing Carolina Siraqyan Nominated

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ This award does not have a single winner, but recognizes multiple films.
  2. ^ Tied with Four Daughters.
  3. ^ Shared with Four Daughters and Swan Song.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Eternal Memory (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  2. ^ "The Eternal Memory". The Numbers. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  3. ^ "The Eternal Memory". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Donnelly, Matt; Debruge, Peter (27 January 2023). "Sundance Winners: 'A Thousand and One' Takes U.S. Dramatic Jury Prize (Complete List)". Variety. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  5. ^ Lewis, Hilary (6 December 2023). "National Board of Review Names 'Killers of the Flower Moon' Best Film of 2023". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b "2024 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Premios Goya 2024 | Palmarés completo: todos los ganadores de la gran noche de 'La sociedad de la nieve'". Cinemanía. 11 February 2024 – via 20minutos.es.
  8. ^ a b Lodge, Guy (13 February 2023). "'The Eternal Memory' Review: Delicate Alzheimer's Doc Balances Personal Reflection and Historical Consciousness". Variety. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  9. ^ The Eternal Memory. In: festival.sundance.org (retrieved 1 February 2023).
  10. ^ Patten, Dominic; D'Alessandro, Anthony (7 December 2022). "Sundance Film Festival Lineup Set With Ukraine War, Little Richard, Michael J. Fox, Judy Blume Docs; Pics With Anne Hathaway, Emilia Clarke, Jonathan Majors, More". Deadline. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  11. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (18 January 2023). "'The Siren' to Open Berlinale's Panorama Strand, Jafar Panahi, Joan Baez, Fan Bingbing, George MacKay Feature in Selections". Variety. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  12. ^ "La memoria infinita" [The Eternal Memory]. 27 PUCP Lima Film Festival (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  13. ^ Welk, Brian (27 January 2023). "Sundance 2023 Movie Deals So Far: 'Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV'Acquired by Greenwich Entertainment". IndieWire. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  14. ^ Lang, Brent (28 June 2023). "MTV Documentary Films Releases Trailer for 'The Eternal Memory,' Documentary Oscar Contender (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Documental "La Memoria Infinita" de Maite Alberdi anunció fecha de estreno en Chile". CNN Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  16. ^ "The Eternal Memory". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  17. ^ The Eternal Memory, retrieved 16 January 2024
  18. ^ Rooney, David (21 January 2023). "'The Eternal Memory' Review: A Moving Chronicle of a Marriage Challenged by Alzheimer's". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  19. ^ "The Panorama Audience Awards Go to Sira by Apolline Traoré and Kokomo City by D. Smith". Berlinale. 25 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  20. ^ "40th ANNIVERSARY MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LINEUP". MDC News. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Catalogo Oficial" (PDF). Guadalajara International Film Festival (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  22. ^ "¡Estos son los ganadores del 27 Festival de Cine de Lima PUCP!". festivaldelima.com (in Spanish). 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  23. ^ "International Documentaries Competition". Athens International Film Festival. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  24. ^ Davis, Clayton (16 October 2023). "Critics Choice Documentary Awards: 'American Symphony' Leads Nominations, Taylor Swift's 'Eras Tour' Lands Nod After Record-Setting Weekend". Variety. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  25. ^ Davis, Clayton (6 November 2023). "'Killers of the Flower Moon' Named Best Picture by National Board of Review, Lily Gladstone and Paul Giamatti Nab Top Acting Honors". Variety. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  26. ^ Davis, Clayton (10 December 2023). "'The Zone of Interest' Wins Best Picture at Los Angeles Film Critics Awards, Four Women Take Acting Prizes (Full Winners List)". Variety. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  27. ^ Blauvelt, Christian (11 December 2023). "2023 Critics Poll: The Best Films and Performances, According to 158 Critics from Around the World". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  28. ^ Butler, Karen (16 December 2023). "New York Film Critics Online touts Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, Anatomy of a Fall as 2023's best". United Press International. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  29. ^ Ramón, Esteban (17 December 2023). "Premios Forqué 2023: '20.000 especies de abejas' gana mejor película y 'La mesías' arrasa en series". rtve.es.
  30. ^ Neglia, Matt (17 December 2023). "The 2023 Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) Winners". Next Best Picture. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  31. ^ Anderson, Erik (13 December 2023). "Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) Nominations". AwardsWatch. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  32. ^ ""The Boy and the Heron" flies high with Florida Film Critics". Florida Film Critics Circle. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  33. ^ Carey, Matthew (19 October 2023). "'The 1619 Project,' 'Nothing Lasts Forever' Lead Charge As Cinema Eye Honors Announces First Round Of Documentary Nominations [Full List]". Deadline. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  34. ^ Darling, Cary (9 January 2024). "Barbie, Oppenheimer lead Houston Film Critics Society's nominations". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  35. ^ Darling, Cary (22 January 2024). "Houston Film Critics Society names Poor Things the best film of 2023". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  36. ^ Pulver, Andrew (11 March 2024). "Ukraine war film 20 Days in Mariupol wins Oscar for best documentary". The Guardian.
  37. ^ "Premios Platino 2024 | Palmarés completo: el triunfo de 'La sociedad de la nieve' y todos los ganadores de la noche". Cinemanía. 21 April 2024 – via 20minutos.es.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Eternal_Memory&oldid=1220016342"