Synopsis of the Reminiscence plot
People with a bleak, unhappy future naturally look to the past for comfort. Moving forward, Nick and his friend Watts run into the business that houses the storage device. These “memories” offer a brief respite from the horrors of the present world – and boy are they addicted.
So it makes the plot even more ironic due to Nick being one of these addicts himself. After work, he dives into the dark recesses of his memories. In the past, he was romantically involved with a femme fatale named Mae, who accidentally stumbled into his office looking for help.
However, when May disappears without a trace, leaving a single earring outside, Nick is determined to find out what happened.
How does a memory stick work?
In this futuristic world, many people rely on the past for their entertainment. It is led by Nick Bannister and his assistant Watts. Subjects who want to relive their past are partially submerged in a tank of water with a strange machine placed on their heads. This seems to be what connects the cerebral cortex to the visual interface.
This interface comes in the form of a holographic reenactment of everything that subject sees. Given how quietly Nick speaks to his subjects, there are some forms of hypnosis involved as well.
These “memories” allow the subject to relive their own dreams and desires—even rekindle a relationship with a lost loved one. However, business is not exactly booming.
mae what happened Has he been kidnapped?
Near the beginning of the film, Nick finds himself in his office with a mysterious stranger seeking help. It’s May and she’s lost her car keys. It’s a fairly simple setup, and the pair eventually develop into a romantic relationship.
When May disappears, leaving an earring outside the building, Nick immediately believes something is wrong and sets out to discover exactly what.
It turned out that Mae was in contact with very powerful people. In this world of getting richer and getting richer and getting poorer and poorer, the elite are colloquially known as barons.
During Nick’s investigation, he learns that Mae is a drug addict and is with a drug lord known as Saint Joe. Joe was also friends with a crooked cop known as Cyrus.
After recovering some memories and being recalled more, Nick Cyrus and the two fight in a flooded building. With Nick victorious, he takes Cyrus back to his office, where he arrests the crooked cop and demands answers.
What is the story between Cyrus and Mae?
Through Cyrus’ flashbacks, we see exactly what happened to Mae in the past.
Cyrus actually recruited May to get close to Nick to steal Elsa’s recorded memories. Elsa is now one of Nick’s regular clients, and her old lover—whom she keeps revisiting while diving into the memory machine—is actually a rich man named Walter Sylvan. He is the powerful Baron who was killed off-screen earlier in the film.
Anyway, Elsa’s missing child is actually Walter’s illegitimate son. So, to solve this problem, Sebastian paid Cyrus to kill Elsa and destroy any trace of her relationship with Walter. Given the memories stored in Nick’s place, this includes killing Elsa and using Nick to crack the safe and destroy the memories.
Does May really love Nick?
This is where things get complicated. This perfect heist is thrown completely awry when May approaches Nick. Despite being planted in this role, May actually has real feelings for Nick and falls in love with him. He kept delaying getting the safe combination – causing Cyrus to lose patience.
At this point, she starts to feel like it’s moot, but it’s clear that she dropped the earring on purpose to get Nick closer to investigating the case.
Is Mae still alive?
In order to save Elsa’s child, May stopped Cyrus and took the child to a remote island with an old friend. Unfortunately, Mae is killed for her part in all of this. Given that Cyrus is responsible for his death, Nick finds that he can barely control his anger.
While Cyrus is still strapped to the car, reliving his most painful flashbacks of being burned, Nick fries Cyrus’ brains with a car. Just as everything seems over and the case is closed on the Walter Sylvan matter, the film takes another twist our way.
What happens in the end?
What is the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice?
During the film’s final scenes, the camera reveals that an older Nick has been sedated and transformed into one of the subjects of remembrance. Given how law enforcement works in these memories, it’s fair to say that Nick’s actions usually landed him in jail or, worse, a death sentence.
Well, Nick cuts a deal with the DA and gets to live out his days in the tank, reliving his time with May as the older Watt checks on him.
There are also parallels here in Nick and May’s love story with the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice.
In this story, Orpheus enters Hades and convinces Hades to return Eurydice’s soul. Hades agrees, but on the condition that Orpheus does not look back as he leaves. Yes, this tale ends in tragedy, and in a sense, so does Khatira. Nick and May can never truly be together and instead end the film on a bittersweet note, living as doomed lovers.