battle of memories

Using a science fiction fantasy conceit about this possible future where people are able to erase their own memories, is a pretty cool idea. Then adding the fact that our protagonist accidentally inserted a killer's memories into his own, and you got the making of a mind-bending movie. Even though there is a sci-fi element to this story, the movie is actually pretty much just another take on the crime mystery procedural thriller genre, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The memory switching is still very much an important element throughout the story, but it's still pretty much a "figure out who the killer is" kinda thing. 

Directed by Leste Chen, I like the way that the pacing and editing of this story is almost purposefully intended to confuse and misdirect the audience. There are also several scenes with cool visual effects that play on the perspective of a memory. Some of them acknowledging the notion that memories do not always appear to be what they seem to be. That unreliable dream-like element helps keep us guessing on what's going on with the plot, and that's where the fun of the movie comes in. 

Bo Huang as Jiang Feng does a great job playing a man who just wants to figure out who the killer is, and to try to keep his sanity in check as this invading memory is slowly changing his personality. That dynamic switching between a meek man and a dangerous killer is where Bo Huang gets to shine as an actor. His interactions with the police officer who is trying to get him to figure out the memories, are also one of the highlights of this movie. The ensemble cast of actors I thought were generally good in their roles. 

While I really liked the premise of this movie and seeing where the story is going, I do take some issue with the fact that it uses a lot of plot conveniences, leaps of logic, and general conceits, just to keep things going in the general direction it needs to go. While some of the unbelievable moments do add some frustrations to the experience, it still managed to make me care about the mystery and the characters anyway. It's not perfect, but it's definitely worth checking out. 

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