Memories of the Alhambra
Drama Review and Analysis
Introduction and Synopsis
Memories of the Alhambra is a Korean drama series that was released by Netflix end 2018. It is a sci-fi, romantic drama based on the premise of ‘augmented reality’ gaming.
Indeed, it is a science-fiction drama in all sense of the word — it involves technology that is not yet available. Yet, it is not the kind of sci-fi drama (e.g. star trek) that is based on far fetched technology. It is based on technology that is believable even in the present age (Year 2019). Hence, it is easy for the viewer to suspend his/her disbelief.
What is ‘augmented reality’? It is the same technology used in the recent Pokemon Go game where characters of the game are projected in real life settings and require ‘actions’ from the player.
The drama takes this technology a step further by introducing special contact lenses that project these ‘augmented reality’ directly into the view of the player. The projected components are so life-like that they are indistinguishable from reality.
The result is phenomenal. A player is able to battle ‘make-belief’ characters in real life settings using his own body movements.
Yet, there is a dark side to the tale. As the story progresses (spoiler alert), the protagonist started to experience signs of psychosis (i.e. hallucination). Even in the absence of the special contact lenses, he was involuntarily logged into the game and attacked by an enemy Non-Player Character (NPC).
When attacked in these hallucinations, he felt intense physical pain. The fearfulness of these encounters was raised when evidence of real death was presented (i.e. If you are killed in the game, you die in real life).
Hence, the main protagonist (i.e. player) lived in constant anxiety. He also questioned his sanity. To cope, he relied heavily on sleeping pills and alcohol. (He quickly learned that the NPC could not appear to him when he was sleeping or heavily inebriated.)
In time, his doctors ascertained that it was not healthy for him to remain in a dazed state. Hence, they removed the ‘coping mechanisms’ (i.e. sleeping pills and alcohol) and he was forced to confront his fear head on. Dealing with the fear of imminent death, he contemplated suicide. But when that was out of the question, he decided to face his fear.
Soon, he realised that even in his possible ‘delusions’, there were rules. The NPC would appear to him once a day and like every video game, if he reached a high enough level, the NPC would be of little threat to him. Hence, he began to ‘level up’ and to acquire better weapons. Soon, he was able to return to a fairly normal life.
Review and Analysis
I love this drama. It is so beautifully written and unpredictable. It is definitely not one of those films where technology is used flippantly to wow the viewers. Technology was simply a component of the film that was woven in carefully to elicit feelings of fear, doubt and confusion.
As the drama is filmed from the perspective of the game player, the viewers are able to relate his emotional turmoil and social isolation. The protagonist was constantly battling for his life and dealing with an enemy that only he could see.
Unintentionally, the film captured the mental state of a mental patient very articulately. Psychosis (i.e. distorted reality) is really not too different from the augmented reality shown in this drama.
One of the most beautiful moments of the show happened when (spoiler alert) the secretary of the main protagonist became an ally to the protagonist and started to see the enemy NPC as well. Instantly, it assured the protagonist that he was not insane and that the problem lied in the game. In addition, the loneliness and burden of his perceived psychosis was alleviated.
This reminded me of the importance of deep listening and empathy. Indeed, when we listen to anyone (mentally sound or not), it is important to take their words at face value. Do not question or doubt it. Instead, try to see things from that person’s perspective. This act of love is enormously healing. This ‘empathy’ is explained below in the writings of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
“So that the director and exercitant may collaborate better and with greater profit, it must be presupposed that any good Christian has to be more ready to justify than to condemn a neighbour’s statement. If no justification can be found, one should ask the neighbour in what sense it is to be taken, and if the sense is wrong, he or she should be corrected lovingly.” (St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual exercises)
Conclusion
The drama has just been released on Netflix. There is a total of 16 episodes of which 10 are already available for viewing. If you have the time, please watch it. I am sure that it will impress you.
God Bless!
