'Mélanie Thierry produces something miraculous in the lead of Emmanuel Finkiel’s admirably dour psychological drama, Memoir of War, essaying a lightly fictionalised version of French doyenne of the ‘nouveau roman’, Marguerite Duras, yet never haughtily signalling to the audience that she walking in the shoes of a real person.'
David Jenkins, Little White Lies
'A haunting and thought-provoking drama that stays in the mind.'
Maria Duarte, Morning Star
'Mélanie Thierry's portrayal of the alternately tender and ruthless writer is fascinating.'
Paul Whitington, The Independent
★★★★★
‘A deeply humane and thought-provoking film, Memoir of War features surely one of the performances of the year from Mélanie Thierry as the protagonist.’(RTE)
★★★★
"Among its many notable achievements, “Memoir of War” is one of the best films I’ve seen about the ways in which grief can pull a person in both directions simultaneously. Whereas the film’s first half plays more like a thriller, the second half proves to be an emotionally wrenching interlude perched on pins and needles."
"Duras insists that we remember, and there is no question her message of empathy and repentance is needed more than ever."
Matt Fagerholm, RogerEbert.com
"A punch to the gut - but also remarkable for its specificity."
Jordan Hoffman, Times of Israel
"This isn't a movie about set-up and payoff, it's a movie about the torment of being stuck in your head, and the insoluble loneliness of walking through a crowd of people who are oblivious to your private suffering."
"Mélanie Thierry delivers a career-making turn in this compellingly austere adaptation of Marguerite Duras' autobiographical novel."
David Ehrlich, IndieWire
"Haunting and hypnotic… Finkiel evokes the inner world of one of the 20th century’s most revolutionary writers."
Film Forum
"While taking on only a portion of the book, “Memoir of War” intelligently approximates its difficult, shifting structure, in which senses of time, place and character are frequently clouded..."
Guy Lodge, Variety
"Thierry is utterly convincing and compelling from first to last, in a deglamorized but sensual performance of tautly controlled severity and uncompromising rigor."
"Melanie Thierry leaps towards the front echelons of current French actresses with her riveting turn as Marguerite Duras in Emmanuel Finkiel's slow-burning Memoir of Pain (La Douleur)."
Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter
“A gorgeous, expressionistic take on the war film”
Lee Jutton, Film Inquiry