Het stoffelijk geheugen

HET STOFFELIJK GEHEUGEN deals with the need of having a grip for one’s memory. The film shows how people try to retain memories by cherishing the tangible witnesses of those memories. The wedding suit that has been hanging unused in the attic for years. Or the bundle of clothes of a deceased loved one. T-shirts full of holes that bring back tender moments from long ago. What looks like a worthless rag to an outsider appears to be invaluable to its owner. In the film, Renate, Co and Clara talk about their lives on the basis of certain garments that represent an important emotional value to them. Will they ever be able to part with them? From the perspective of a frayed collar or a missing button, the film gradually provides insight in the greater story. In the process, the spectator is guided along key moments in someone’s life: growing up, getting married, growing older, looking back, saying goodbye. HET STOFFELIJK GEHEUGEN shows that also in our own wardrobe, material remnants are waiting to be touched, commented on and unravelled. Because that is where our individual past is still tangible, in the frayed ends and holes caused by living. This insight can be a consolation, but also recognition galore.