Directed by Academy-Award® winner Fernando Trueba (BELLE EPOQUE), MEMORIES OF MY FATHER dramatizes the true life story of Héctor Abad Gómez, (Goya Award winner Javier Cámara, from Pedro Almodóvar’s TALK TO HER and BAD EDUCATION), a renowned Colombian doctor and human rights activist in corrupt and chaotic 1970s Medellín, Colombia. A devoted father, Abad Gómez adored his children and fought against oppression and social inequality at great sacrifice to himself and his family. Colombia’s official submission for the 93rd Academy Awards, the film is a stylish and beautifully shot portrait of a man who dedicated his life to helping others. MEMORIES OF MY FATHER is based on the international best-seller, OBLIVION: A MEMOIR, written by Héctor Abad Faciolince, the son of Héctor Abad Gómez and one of Colombia’s most acclaimed contemporary authors.

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Video Quality

Memories Of My Father comes to Blu-Ray with a striking 1080p presentation that captures this film perfectly. This is a visually rich film that brings the past to life with impeccable detail in the production design and costumes. As Hector goes from interior to interior, you feel as if you can almost reach out and feel the texture of the setting. The warm colors really pop off the screen including the hues in certain lighting choices and elements of the craft design. The white levels are handled beautifully, and the black levels are immensely deep and do not appear to suffer from any compression artifacts. There are no instances of intrusive digital noise in the presentation. The skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. Cohen Media Group has done great work here.

Audio Quality

The film comes to Blu-Ray with an effective DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original Spanish with optional English subtitles provided. The movie features very little in the way of action, but there is a steady stream of environmental activity which comes through particularly well. The music aids a lot in the tone the film establishes as it flows through with flawless fidelity. The low end of the track is not very active with more subtle environmental sounds making a greater showing in the surrounds. The dialogue and sound effects are in harmony with the soundtrack where nothing gets lost in the track. Surround channels get some nice activity when it comes to the chatting of the students or house guests. This track delivers on everything that is asked of it.

Special Features

Interview with Director Fernando Trueba and Star Javier Cámara: A 32-minute virtual piece with the director and star moderated by film historian Annette Insdorf in which the two discuss their relationship to the material, the structure of the film, their working relationship, the themes they wanted to tackle, details about the characters, the tonal balance of the film and more.

Making-Of Featurettes: An array of brief featurettes are provided here in which the cast and creative team delve into various aspects of the production with some passable depth.

- The Actors (4:23)

- The Director (4:24)

- The Filming (4:28)

- The Book (4:12)

- The Production (4:17)

Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Memories Of My Father is a really great reflection on those who you hold dearest to you and the oversized impact they have on your life. Héctor Abad Gómez is a very moralistic character who fights for what is right, but the film never presents him as a character lacking true faults. The performances in this one are incredible from the veteran actors to the younger family members who never falter. The film does not really have a good reason for being over two hours long, but the experience holds up all the same. Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have released a Blu-Ray featuring a stellar A/V presentation and a few interesting special features. If you are a fan of memory pieces or historical dramas, this one excels on both levels. Recommended

Memories Of My Father is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.