Movie Review - Het Geheugenspel

Director: Jan Verheyen, Lien Willaert
Genre: Thriller/ Mystery
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Anna Drijver, Gert Winckelmans, Vic de Wachter, Louis Talpe, Daan Creyghton, Maarten Heijmans
 
Description: The body of Nathalie, who disappeared 25 years ago, is found on the Deridder family estate. The event reveals a long-hidden crime, and when secrets are brought forth, the present is overshadowed by the past.

Review: Books by writer’s duo Nicci French are always solid thrillers. No outstanding literature, but enjoyable and real page-turners. The Dutch film “”Het Geugenspel” is based on their book “The Memory Game” (literal translation) and for a Dutch thriller, it really did very well.

It is 1997 when rebellious teen Nathalie disappears during a party. Her best friend Eva has never been able to process the disappearance properly. She has continued to live life as best she can, building a successful career as an architect. Then, years later, Nathalie’s body is found on the ground of the Deridder estate, Nathalie’s family.

Plagued by the trauma and recurring memories, Eva goes into the hypnotherapy. What happened that fatefull night in 1997? Ans why does Eva’s head frantically try to keep the memories of that night under lock and key? Does she subconsciously know more about the disappearance?

“Het Geheugenspel” slowly unfolds as a suspenseful and entertaining whodunnit. For over a hundred minutes, the identity of the culprit can be guessed. The story pushes the audience into a certain direction, only to still come up with a reasonable plot twist. Somewhere you hope the story goes a little deeper into the sharp end, but it touches on the taboo just enough.

The film is far from perfect, but because of the well-written source material, “Het Geheugenspel” is a solid and strong thriller film.

Rating: 3,5/ 5