Amanda (Elena Anaya) and Javier (Benjamin Vicuña) had been happily married for years, but now Amanda cannot bear to look at Javier’s face, not since Pedro, the Santiago couple’s four-year-old son, tragically drowned in their swimming pool. Amanda and Javier are facing the worst time of their lives, both unable to effectively communicate with the other, both finding it hard to cope with grief that seems only to burgeon and grow more painful as time goes by. Amanda finds it impossible to be with Javier, so she starts seeing an ex. Javier, now without Pedro or Amanda, throws himself into work. Can time heal their wounds and bring them back together? Or are their shared memories simply too harrowing?

The Memory of Water follows these characters, both together and apart, as they try to find a way out of agonizing sadness. Chilean writer-director Matías Bize’s unique treatment of the wayward paths to recovery from tragedy provides viewers with ample opportunity to identify with his characters—and to seriously question what one must do to move on in the wake of shattering loss. – Andres Castillo

The Memory of Water is also part of the Ibero American Feature Film Competition