‘The Eternal Memory’ Review – A Beautiful, Emotional Story About Love, Loss And Family

Chilean writer/director Maite Alberdi is no stranger when it comes to capturing the life of older people. Her Tea Time (La Once) is about a group of old female friends coming together once a month, while The Mole Agent (El Agente Topo) features a storyline about a mole in a retirement home. Her latest documentary, The Eternal Memory (La memoria infinita), is no different. She delves into the life of someone with Alzheimer’s and turns that gripping story into a beautiful, emotional, slow movie about love, loss and family.

The Eternal Memory starts with Augusto Góngora and his wife, Paulina “Pauli” Urrutia lying in bed and laughing but there’s a lot of sadness behind those smiles. Augusto has Alzheimer’s and Paulina has to remind Augusto who she is to him. Seeing that Augusto doesn’t remember the love of his life hits you right in the stomach. Augusto used to be a renowned TV news journalist, who mainly reported on the violent dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, but now that his memory’s failing, he can’t dedicate his time to reporting news anymore. During his years as a journalist, he was vital in writing political news; therefore, the loss of his memory also feels like the loss of the political and cultural memory of the country. Not knowing who the people around him are and being unable to do what he wants leads to despair, anger, and frustration.

Luckily, there’s one person who can (temporarily) take away that pain, and that is his wife, Pauli. We see them taking walks, going to her theatrical performances, and having fun, while also learning how their relationship blossomed throughout the years. At the same time, there are also hard-to-watch scenes in which Paulina cares for him, consoles him and goes through every emotion with him. Sometimes you might want to look away, especially when Augusto is disoriented, but don’t do that. No matter how tough it is, there’s always a glimpse of love, tenderness and hope in every scene. While this story might seem repetitive to us, that’s precisely what Paulina and Augusto are going through. Every day, they have to face a repetitive circle of him forgetting almost everything and her trying to help him remember.

It’s that strong relationship that is at the heart of this documentary. It’s not because people are ill that they can’t live a fulfilling life anymore. Pauli has incredible cheerfulness and energy, resulting in Augusto feeling like he’s not alone. She helps him save his memory by playing memory games with him, taking him to social gatherings to keep him active and trying to remind him of what they’ve been through during their 25 years long relationship. To make sure that the audience themselves know their beautiful relationship, Alberdi intertwines that day-to-day footage of the couple with older videos, home movies and clips of Augusto’s work as a journalist.

Some might find that the political side is underexplored or that all the different types of videos result in a mismatch, but most of the time, this restraint approach works. Seeing all that footage gives the couple’s relationship a lot of emotional depth. It’s what makes this feature extremely impactful. There are no over-the-top moments in The Eternal Memory. It’s a balanced, thoughtful and moving documentary. Laughter and tears come in equal measure on-screen. The happy moments mainly occur at the beginning, while the hard-to-watch and gripping scenes are saved for the middle and the end. When Augusto’s writings about the importance of memory and preserving your identity spring forth at the end, sadness, courage, and love all hit you.

The Eternal Memory doesn’t hold back in showing us what it’s like for a person to live with a debilitating disease and its impact on their loved ones. The writer/director offers a personal window into Augusto and Pauli’s lives. While it’s certainly not easy to watch, the love, positivity and grace this heartbreaking and emotional documentary oozes inspire all of us, just like the couple themselves.

The Eternal Memory is now playing in theatres in New York courtesy of MTV Documentary Films. The film will expand to additional markets in the coming weeks. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpL6HTEYrIw]