A few months ago, I decided I wanted to re-watch Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days, a movie that was largely ignored by audiences when it was released in 1995 but one I have always admired. I remember seeing it with my then-girlfriend at the cineplex inside the Christiana Mall in Newark, DE. I believe we took the bus to the mall, the one that regularly travelled between from the University of Delaware campus where we lived as college students. Parking spaces on campus were at a premium, meaning had we driven one of our own cars, we would have lost our parking spots and been SOL finding a decent space anywhere near our dorm upon returning.
As mundane as the above paragraph might seem, I do write it with some trepidation. I don't talk much about my time at the University of Delaware even though I have many great memories from my time as a student there and I still have several friends from that time who are still very much a part of my life. But, it didn't end well there for me, and it has remained a source of great embarrassment almost thirty years later. The details are not important for this review, and the people in my life who need to know the particulars have long since been aware of them. Suffice it to say I am thankful there was no pervasive social media to speak of during this time, and our culture was not yet in the habit of obsessively recording every last sordid detail of one's life and sharing it for all to see. A reality that is fairly apropos to the central theme of this film.
As I watched Strange Days again, I was stuck once more by the line, "Memories are meant to fade; they're designed that way for a reason." It is said by Mace, the female bodyguard played by Angela Bassett, as she finally confronts Ralph Fiennes' Lenny Nero for being strung out on the SQUID technology he uses to re-live past memories of his relationship with a young woman named Faith (Juliette Lewis). He's an addict but not in the sense of one that allows his body to whither away in favor of the next fix. Instead, Lenny is addicted to his past memories that the tech allows him to revisit in vivid detail, and his present life is stagnant and shiftless as a result.
This is never more evident than in the way Lenny is repeatedly helpless to stop any physical attacks against him. He gets his ass kicked so often in this movie it goes from being comical to downright pathetic. Taking action is not a problem for Mace, however. In a neat reversal of gender roles, Angela Bassett gets to flex her finely-toned body in action sequences that show Mace is not to be trifled with as she comes to Lenny's rescue again and again throughout the film.
On top of that, Mace is also right. Memories stay with you, both the good and the bad, but they do fade. The reason they fade is to make them bearable so that we can look forward to making new and hopefully better memories moving forward.
The philosophical discord between the two lead energizes the film and makes them compelling characters to follow. Lenny is isolated and depressed, completely disconnected from the real world because of his over-reliance on technology to stave off past hurt; Mace is active, involved, a protector trying to hold it altogether as she watches society crumble around her. In another film, these two would be central opponents. But, here they are allies navigating an increasingly dystopian landscape. And, their opposing points of view create a push and pull that gives Strange Days its momentum.
The two do finally come into a conflict over a decision on what to do with a crucial piece of information. Lenny in his junkie mindset wants to make a decision based on self-interest while Mace pushes for something that is broader and potentially benefits the greater good. This is where she utters her line about memories. That scene resonated strongly with me in 1995, but it positively vibrates with relevance thirty years later.
People who know the film will notice that I've not talked about the murder mystery at the center of its narrative or the aesthetic blend of film noir and sci-fi, making Strange Days an interesting bridge between Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and Alex Proyas' Dark City. All of that is great - don't get me wrong - but it comes in second to the ideas being explored in the film, ideas that provoke reflection and critical evaluation of current trends permeating our society.
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