“Arrested Memory”, interview with director Sabu

September 8, 2026

"Arrested Memory" director Sabu on guilt, self-recovery, memory, and humour

"Arrested Memory", interview with director Sabu Gianluca De Angelis

Podcast | Download

During the Venice International Film Festival 2026 we spoke with Sabu, director of the film Arrested Memory, presented here in the Venice Open – Out of Competition section of the Festival. A layered story about memory, identity and the fragile process of rediscovering oneself after trauma… Blending darkness with Sabu’s distinctive dry humour, turning remembrance into a path toward healing, reconstruction and liberation.

The interview

During our interview for FRED Film Radio, the director Sabu explained how it was bringing together Japanese and Taiwanese cultural traditions while embracing the creative possibilities of working outside his usual environment. Shooting Arrested Memory in Taipei, where he was the only Japanese member of a predominantly Taiwanese crew alongside a Hong Kong cinematographer, placed him in an unfamiliar and stimulating position. Sabu describes this sense of nervousness as something he actively seeks: working in a new context allows him to feel like a beginner again and keeps his filmmaking instinct alive. He also expressed the desire to bring this approach to Italy in a future project.

Despite its apparent darkness, nonetheless the film Arrested Memory also retains the director Sabu’s characteristic use of humour. For him, comedy is most effective when it emerges from situations of extreme tension and seriousness: the more committed the characters are to the dramatic reality of a scene, the stronger its unexpected comic dimension can become. This is why he tends not to cast performers primarily associated with comedy, but actors capable of playing situations with complete seriousness. In this film, Ethan’s intense performance becomes precisely what allows the darker humour to emerge naturally, creating a contrast between emotional weight and moments of unexpected release.

Plot

Lee is a superstar police detective in Taipei. After losing his team during a crime investigation, he is haunted by guilt and transferred to a rural police station. Traumatized by the incident, Lee develops amnesia—but is determined to keep it a secret. Soon, he is assigned a new case: the kidnapping of the son of an influential Japanese businessman. As his memory continues to fade, Lee can only rely on his instincts—which, against all odds, lead him to the criminals.

Written by: Gianluca De Angelis

Venice Open