Fatal Memories (TV Movie 2015)

Fatal Memories: Directed by Farhad Mann. With Italia Ricci, Magda Apanowicz, Kevin McNulty, Zak Santiago. Psychological thriller. A woman tries to help her sister remember the events surrounding the fatal stabbing of their mother.

“I screened the Lifetime movie u0026quot;Fatal Memories,u0026quot; and despite its hysterical opening and bizarre main titles (in what IMDb.com would characterize as u0026quot;crazy credits,u0026quot; the names of the cast and crew appear as parts of pictures hanging on the walls of one of the two houses around which the action centers, and the directoru0026#39;s name, Farhad Mann, is emblazoned on the roof in an overhead shot), u0026quot;Fatal Memoriesu0026quot; actually turned out to be a quite good film, a high-tension thriller with a provocative central premise. It opens in a scene in the home of Marjorie Parker (Elizabeth McLaughlin), a retired college professor with two adult daughters, attorney Sutton Roberts (Italia Ricci) and April Parker (Magda Apanowicz). Sutton breaks a prized bowl and, as sheu0026#39;s picking up the pieces, sheu0026#39;s alerted to a commotion from outside. The commotion is a fatal stabbing attack on her mom, and when she comes upon the body April is holding a bloody knife. April is arrested by police detectives Whitaker (Shauna Johannessen) and Martin (Michael Ryan). The arrest is filmed by nosy, obnoxious videographer and hacker Luke Conner (Ryan Bell, whou0026#39;s the usual sort of nerd-cute guy Lifetimeu0026#39;s — and most other peopleu0026#39;s — casting directors like for parts like this), who posts edited versions on the Internet that make April seem both guilty and crazy. Sheu0026#39;s crazy enough that sheu0026#39;s put in a mental institution for a year or so (the Lifetime credit reads u0026quot;One Year Lateru0026quot; but one IMDb.com reviewer cited other evidence in the film that two or even three years had passed) until she can be adjudged legally competent to assist in her own defense so she can be tried for her momu0026#39;s murder, and despite the incredibly obvious conflict of interest her sister Sutton insists on representing her as defense counsel.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSutton is insistent that April couldnu0026#39;t have committed the crime, and in order to jog her memories she takes April to various locations associated with their family in general and her mom in particular in hopes that April will remember something that will exonerate her and enable Sutton to figure out who the real killer is. At the same time, mysterious attacks start affecting the family, and Sutton takes a lot of her anger out on Whitaker, who seems to be there whenever something embarrassing happens to the family. It may not seem like that much in synopsis, but as written by Verge, staged by Mann and acted by an excellent cast — especially Apanowicz, who makes Aprilu0026#39;s confused mental state all too real; she really has us believing this poor womanu0026#39;s brain cells are tumbling like clothes in a dryer, and she never knows what sheu0026#39;s going to do next — u0026quot;Fatal Memoriesu0026quot; is a gripping thriller, making us feel for the characters and keeping us in suspense even though, as noted above, there are really too few suspects for the mystery aspect to be all that mysterious. Itu0026#39;s a brilliantly done movie and one hopes that Farhad Mann and Magda Apanowicz in particular can go on to biggers and betters!”