HollyShorts Special 9: 8:38 Review

“Listen – stay calm, okay? Can you tell me your name?” – Daniel

Of all the terrifying things out there that scare us, perhaps the worst of all is the insidious nature of losing our identity, our memories – and ultimately finding our sense of self is gone. Is there anything more crushing than waking up one morning with your life, experiences, loved ones all a blank page? Yet it happens to thousands of people every day.

Director Imole Ladipo witnessed this unravelling of a life in her grandmother, which inspired this film. As Ms Ladipo says; “I made this film from a place of truth and heartbreak, drawn from the quiet devastation of watching my grandmother slowly lose her memory. One day, she looked me in the eye and didn’t know who I was. That moment has never left me. The fear in her face, the confusion, the silence—it haunted me. It still does.”

8:38 is a tightly paced, stunning example of a psychological drama, set in real time. May Wei (Malia Munley) wakes up in a darkened apartment. She has no idea where she is, remembering hesitantly, only her name. Her only lifeline is a mysterious voice on a phone, encouraging her to look around and try and figure out where she is. She becomes more unsettled when she sees photographs of herself on display, and a person in another room starts to approach. She begins to doubt the calming tone of the gentle and reassuring voice on the phone, as it might be menacingly leading her into greater danger.

Time is running out for her to fill in the gaps in her memories as the film builds to an unexpected crescendo, expertly directed by Ladipo from a script by Ekam Singh. The themes of paranoia and context are explored in a powerful performance by Malia Munley as May, who gradually breaks down as she loses any faith in everything she sees and hears.

8:38 is an unflinchingly honest and raw examination of the effect that a loss of memory and identity can have, not only on the victim who suffers paranoia and a sense of alienation and persecution complex simply because they, themselves, are lost and can’t find their way back to the safe haven of normality.

Important questions are raised, but there are no easy answers.

Rob Rating - 8