Memory Box Film Uses Personal Archives to Explore Lebanese Civil War Trauma

The 2021 film Memory Box, directed by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, tells the story of three generations of Lebanese women living in Montreal whose Christmas celebration is interrupted by an enigmatic package. Inside the box are personal notebooks, photographs, and cassette tapes sent following the passing of Maia's friend Liza, who relocated to Paris in the 1980s. This discovery compels Maia to face repressed memories from the Lebanese Civil War, while her daughter Alex delves into the archives in secret. The film features Hadjithomas's personal artifacts from 1982 to 1988 and Joreige's wartime imagery, intertwining reality with fiction. The emotional turmoil is visually represented by scenes of the film melting during conflicts. Themes of family secrets and unspoken wartime trauma resonate, particularly with Maia's brother and father lost in the war. Despite its serious subject matter, the film offers moments of youthful humor and 1980s music. At its UK premiere, Hadjithomas and Joreige referred to the work as a heartfelt tribute to Lebanon, photography, and cinema. Memory Box is currently showing in theaters and is also available for online streaming.