OSCARS 2024: The Eternal Memory (2023)

Chances are it's going to happen to us, one way or another. A lot of us are going to get old. And, once you're old, your memory will probably start to slip, no matter how sharp you might be in your prime. If it doesn't happen to you, by some slim chance, it'll probably happen to someone you know. Your parents, your partner, a dear friend. Odds are you will watch one or the other start to fade. This is the nature of existence. We're all finite machines and our gears will be stripped with age. Obviously, such an unavoidable, existential topic has inspired filmmakers and storytellers over the years. The sheer human tragedy of watching a loved one loose themselves to disuse or age has been covered many times before. Yet, being such an intensely personal topic, it's always one worth exploring again. Among this year's slate of Oscar-nominated documentaries is another such film, “The Eternal Memory.”

Journalist Augusto Gongora has been a trusted figure on Chilean television for decades. During the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, Gongora was an independent reporter opposing the government. After Pinochet's fall, Gongora became a beloved broadcaster and television presenter that largely discussed literature and the arts. In 2016, he married long-time girlfriend, actress Paulina Urrutia. At the age of 62, Gongora was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. “The Eternal Memory” tracks Gongora's relationship with his wife – who he affectionately calls Pauli – and his daily progress with the disease. As the COVID-19 pandemic begins, Paulina herself begins to document the toll the condition is taking on her husband herself. 

The documentary genre is, by its very nature, a somewhat voyeuristic genre. It's a format built around the idea of watching other people's lives and events, as they play out and actually happen, with as few artistic liberties as possible. “The Eternal Memory,” and its director Maite Alberdi, clearly sought to put the viewer as much as possible into Pauli and Augusto's life. We are introduced to them in bed, as she greets him in the morning. After the pandemic begins, Pauli taking control of the camera herself makes the film an even more intimate peek into this difficult situation. Most of the movie is set around the couple's home, the two of them being the principal people in nearly every scene. By the end of “The Eternal Memory,” you feel like you know these two. Which makes watching Augusto's mind slip away from him all the more difficult. 

Alzheimer's is, unavoidably, a heartbreaking condition. “The Eternal Memory” really gives us an up-close-and-personal audience with this. Before bed every night, Pauli has to take their wedding photo down, because Augusto doesn't recognize them and becomes fearful of these strangers. A really upsetting scene shows him, at night, getting upset and yelling at the door, wondering where his “friends” are. Another moment has him breaking down as he holds multiple books in his hands, frightened at loosing his memories. He watches broadcast from his own career, somehow seeming to recall some events while experiencing others for the first time. There are moments of clarity too, such as when Augusto grieves for what him and his wife have lost. It's hard to watch.

“The Eternal Memory” doesn't just seek to show us what Augusto and Paulina went through during the twilight years of his condition. The movie shows us clips from his considerable career and life, footage of him with his children and wife during their happier days. Even during the film's present, we see Pauli reminding her husband of their life together, of the love they share. And it's evident, no matter how much he forgets or how confuse he becomes, Augusto always loves Paulina. The film gives you a sense of the whole scope of this man's life and, most importantly, of the passion and understanding he shared with this very special woman. This is what makes the film, ultimately, as touching as it is sad. Love does endure. I believe that. 

You probably notice that I referred to Augusto Gongora in the past tense throughout this review. The man passed away last year, after “The Eternal Memory” was completed. The finished film is dedicated to him. It's unsurprising to learn this, after watching him decline so much throughout the film. As a study of the struggles of watching a loved one loose themselves to Alzheimer's, “The Eternal Memory” is a frequently heartrending film. Yet the film also argues for how love, for all its ineffable qualities, can hold a sway over people that outlasts even the worst diseases. [8/10]