Have you ever recalled an event from your past, only to find out later that the imagery of that memory belies what actually happened? This is one of the premises of The Memory Game, an intriguing Danish movie directed by Lien Willaert and starring Anna Drijver. The film is based on a book by Nicci French.

The Memory Game is an exploration of repressed memories, selective memories, and other tricks our minds play on us. The plot begins with the discovery of the body of Natalie Deridder, a young woman who disappeared 25 years earlier, on a vast estate. Present at the scene are middle-aged Eva Deridder (Drijver) and several other members of the wealthy and powerful Deridder family.

Eva is in the process of divorcing her husband, Alain Deridder, but she isn’t sure why, as she finds no apparent fault in his character. Alain is one of the late Natalie’s brothers. Eva’s association with the Deridder family goes back a long way. She was best friends with Natalie when they were wild teenagers and has known Alain and his philandering brother intimately. She also has a close relationship with Theo, Alain’s father. Alain’s mother, Martha, is suffering from dementia and is in denial about Natalie’s death. Martha often confuses Eva for Natalie.

Alain and Eva have a teenage son, who disapproves of his mother. Eva has only fragmented memories of a party 25 years ago, on the fateful day Natalie disappeared.

To unearth her repressed memories, Eva visits Alex, a hypnotherapist, much to Alain’s vexation, as he dismisses the treatment as quackery. Soon, a flood of memories begins to surface.

Eva discovers a mysterious letter from Natalie that seems to reveal the identity of her killer—or does it? In the climax, Eva returns to the crime scene and digs deeper, comparing her memories from the day Natalie disappeared with her recent findings. She attempts to separate fact from fiction. Will she succeed?

The Memory Game is, at its core, a story about repressed memories, buried emotions, and the fallibility of the human mind. Our memories, shaped by millions of years of evolution, often act as a mechanism to preserve our sanity, concealing pain and, at times, the truth.

It is also the story of the Deridder family—a wealthy yet flawed clan that strives to stay united while desperately trying to bury its dark secrets. The movie is a decent watch, although the letter Eva discovers makes the killer’s identity somewhat predictable for the audience.