Memories...always on my mind.

Whoever coined the phrase 'Life is a series of moments' was probably reflecting back over his/her past experiences. Which brings us to today's topic of memory. When we think of our own personal history and tell stories, they're often fragmented and details are forgotten and replaced by how something or more importantly someone made us feel. And this gets more enhanced over the course of time.
This weekend I watched a Terrence Malick double-bill of Days of Heaven and The New World. All of his films take place in some period in the past. With this in mind it should help one to understand what Malick has in mind in the way his films are presented and shot. The characters, especially ones in a significant historical context - in say The Thin Red Line and The New World - they aren't necessarily aware of the fact that their actions and decisions will be written in books for years to come - like you'll see in other period films. As courageous as they may seem, (as depicted in lesser films) they aren't void of doubt and remorse. It's one thing for us to think back to an event we were apart of and try to imagine what we were thinking or could have done differently, but filmmakers take this a giant leap forward and try to imagine and empathize with people from generations ago, including those that were of the conventional ill-sort: murderers, thieves, savages, etc. And of course Malick, in what makes his films unique, provides an inner monologue for many of his characters. Lot of metaphor and one word sentences.

Another interesting example I've found recently is in Truffaut's classic 'Jules and Jim.' Like Malick's films the drama is sort of glossed over (which can be seen as a negative criticism). But one must realize that 'Jules and Jim' was a story written by a man of his true experiences from 50 years prior. An interesting aspect of memory is that when we think back over our relationships and trials - we often recall the good times more often than the bad (Granted which is a problem when finding reason to break up with someone or when pondering the idea of getting back together with him/her - ha). Time has a way of reshaping these things.

And when we do recall those good times they seem so often bathed in light, having took place during magic hour (time just before and after sunset and sunrise) - like Malick's films are shown. I can tell you I have certain memories that haunt me and probably will for the rest of my being. And they weren't always significant in the scheme of things. Just little snippets of time - the way she looked sitting at the edge of the bed looking at me, or how she stood in the water admist the sunset. Or even tinier things from 3rd grade - a play during flag football. Things I'm not even sure if they happened or if they were in a dream. Strangely some of these I was acutely aware at the time they would stay with me. If I stare long enough I can capture them like a photograph. Think about your dreams for a second. Aren't they just little fragments of events that provide a certain feeling or emotion?