The opening film of the 17th edition of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival will be an Italian premiere: Marjorie Prime, by Michael Almereyda. It is based on the acclaimed play by Pulitzer nominee Jordan Harrison. Marjorie Prime has a deeply touching narrative which explores themes such as memory, identity, love and loss in the age of artificial intelligence. The futuristic chamber play by Almereyda is interpreted marvellously by a cast of the highest level, comprising Lois Smith, Jon Hamm, Geena Davis and Tim Robbins. Marjorie Prime made its debut in Jannuary at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Sloan Feature Film Prize, a prize given to the best films dealing with topics such as science and technology.
Marjorie Prime is based on Jordan Harrison’s Pulitzer-nominated play exploring memory, identity, love and loss. In an era when artificial intelligence has become very normal, the 86-year-old Marjorie is kept company by an inquisitive hologram. This ‘prime’ is a younger version of her deceased husband Walter, who shares reminiscences with Marjorie to train her failing memory. But the prime only knows the facts and memories he’s been told, so they can also be manipulated – by Marjorie, or for instance by her sonin-law Jon. In this way, the holographic (and in many ways improved) version of Walter starts to form part of an idealised past.
