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The Memory Thief

Play trailer Poster for The Memory Thief 2007 1h 35m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 43% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
An aimless young man obsesses about Jews who were the victims of Nazis.

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The Memory Thief

Critics Reviews

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Mark Olsen Los Angeles Times 05/30/2008
2.5/5
There are intriguing issues swirling around the film, but [director] Kofman never brings it to a boil, never finds the deeper, truer meaning inside the ideas he is grappling with. Go to Full Review
Leba Hertz San Francisco Chronicle 05/09/2008
2/4
Director Gil Kofman's attempt is noble in trying to show this descent into madness, but something rings false. Go to Full Review
Jeannette Catsoulis New York Times 05/09/2008
4/5
In The Memory Thief, a strange and melancholy journey to the heart of madness, a rootless young man finds meaning in the horrors of a stolen past. Go to Full Review
Nora Lee Mandel Film-Forward.com 12/07/2008
8/10
A thoughtful, creative, and disturbing way to treat the numbness of Holocaust and genocide fatigue, through striking images of a man's bizarre transformation and obsession. Go to Full Review
Eric Monder Film Journal International 05/14/2008
The film deserves qualified praise. Go to Full Review
Ken Fox TV Guide 05/09/2008
3/4
While the film tends to talk over itself in its attempt to say all it needs to say on the subject, his film's uncompromisingly bleak vision is a bracing alternative. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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ronald h 08/29/2022 This is the most disturbing movie I've seen in years---and it's not a horror movie or even a suspense movie. It's simply about a young toll booth worker who, either by accident or by divine design, becomes obsessed with the Holocaust. He's a Christian, but he adapts himself to Judaism. He starts working part time for the Holocaust Foundation. He papers his walls with clippings of Holocaust victims, and he spends hours watching tapes of survivors telling their horror stories. He inexorably descends into madness. He puts up signs at his tollbooth, ordering German cars to take a different lane. This film affected me deeply. But it's not entirely because of the tragic historical subject matter. It's because of the young man, who finds his calling in life by chronicling the suffering of others. It's not normal; it's not healthy. As viewers, we just don't know how to process it. Mark Webber is memorable as the main character, but Jerry Adler's performance as a survivor steals the show. See more 08/23/2013 There are intriguing issues swirling around the film, but [director] Kofman never brings it to a boil, never finds the deeper, truer meaning inside the ideas he is grappling with. See more 06/03/2012 A very intense depiction of a young man's life unraveling. Meanwhile he's attached himself to the stories of Holocaust Survivors. A very dark film. Don't get me wrong: I liked it, I'm just warning you. See more 04/02/2012 Kofman misses the mark - comes off as abnormal, obsessive, amateurish and psychotic...very challenging to watch in one sitting. See more 01/11/2012 Just as protagonist/anti-hero Mark Webber fails to unearth a deeper meaning behind the Holocaust, so too does "Memory Thief" fail to place any meaning behind Webber's bizarre collapse into insanity. See more 05/14/2010 There is something incredibly distrubing about this film and I'm not quite sure what the writer and directior was trying to prove with this, except to make a case study about obession and just how one falls into madness or mental illness altogether. The reason it wasn't so successful was because the topic is so taboo and distrubing, its hard for people to appreciate the actual brillance of the film. The character who starts off likeable slowly becomes more and more digusting and unwatchable. Marc Webber is excellent giving off a discernibly creepy vibe that's off-putting and maddening. The story unfolds slowly almost taking you by surprise when you realize what the character is becoming or trying to become. Wonderful script, well executed and definately memorable if not disturbing. See more Read all reviews
The Memory Thief

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Movie Info

Synopsis An aimless young man obsesses about Jews who were the victims of Nazis.
Director
Gil Kofman
Producer
Gil Kofman, Marika Van Adelsburg, Amy Ziering
Screenwriter
Gil Kofman
Production Co
Stark Raving Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 15, 2020
Runtime
1h 35m
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