Memory Box

Kenza Bousseloub

From the fragments of wartime remembrance – faded photos, crackling cassette recordings, and scrapbooks that perch between journals and letters – the film Memory Box traces a path through sorrow, joy, regret and hope, in a blend of sound, image and word that invites viewers to make their own peace with the promise and peril of recalling.

Premiered in March 2022 to a full house at the University of Pennsylvania’s Rainey Auditorium under the auspices of Al Bustan, Penn’s Middle East Center and UPenn Cinema and Media Studies, Memory Box, captivated its audience, drawing laughter and thrilled exclamations in moments of humor and excitement, and sighs as it traced moments of regret and loss.

Directors Khalil Joreige and Joana Hadjithomas set their feature in present-day Montreal, garlanded in Christmas snow. The movie immediately delves into a theme of family and belonging through a box that was mailed from France to Canada only to be found by a teenage girl named Alex. The box which gives the movie is intended for Alex’s mother, Maia. Alex secretly explores the personal contents of the box against her mother and grandmother’s will and from here on out an adventurous set of events unfold as a result of Alex’s findings. The findings include old journals, record tapes, and photographs that were sent to Maia from an old friend in France and serve as remaining memories of Maia and her best friend in 1980s Lebanon.

Memory Box features jumbled chronological elements and media that make up our sense of time (past, present) and memories:  collages of old photos, Super 8 footage, notebooks, songs and newspaper articles. Its photographs turn into the joys of life through animations which encompass themes of love and hope, even as the story embodies heartbreak, war and trauma. The audience is offered the experience of living through scenes that would jump back and forth from past and present moments in time. Viewers who were captivated by the magic in the film would fill the theater with their laughter and thrilling exclamations in moments of humor and excitement.

Before the premiere began, people met outside the theater where they were greeted by Al-Bustan’s staff. The welcoming amenities along with a warm sense of hospitality were exhibited by traditional Arabic cookies accompanied by hot chocolate and coffee. People mingled in the lobby during the reception, helping themselves to treats and beverages before entering the theater. Upon the arrival to the theater, the crowds of people were greeted by the director of Al-Bustan, Mohannad Ghawanmeh. Ghawanmeh’s introduction left everyone engaged with anticipation.

Mixed responses to the film’s ending emerged in during the post-film Q&A session. A few audience members shared that the film brought back memories in a very personal way. With the truth, richness, and layers of the film, each person can make a connection to the film which leaves the ending up for interpretation. A very insightful pre-recorded Q&A with the filmmakers offered further closure. Both spoke about wanting to keep the ending and story of the film up to the viewer's imagination. Their wish and filmmaking process and ideas was best encapsulated by their remark: “We like this freedom of film, not exactly knowing what’s going to happen.”

The gathered footage offers a sense of nostalgia which renders a meaningful and generous gift to Lebanon through revealing pieces of history that were forgotten. The film was not only about Alex, her mom Maia, and her grandmother, Teta, who shared a history of generational trauma and strength, but acts as a love letter to cinema and to the history of Beirut, Lebanon. Ultimately, this is a heartfelt film which showcased three generations of women who overcame intense trauma as they underwent a journey of familial connectedness and resilience.

Kenza is an Algerian-American multidisciplinary artist, specializing in journalism, creative production, and documentary filmmaking based in Philadelphia. Her practices are primarily focused on themes relating to patterns and impacts of identity, representation, and the visibility of MENA communities.