ABSTRACT
Memory is everywhere in Blade Runner 2049. From the dead tree that serves as a memorial and a site of remembrance to the “flashbulb” memories individuals hold about the moment of the “blackout,” when all the electronic stores of data were irretrievably erased. Blade Runner 2049 encourages us to think deeply about the nature of memory, identity, and the relation between them. Indeed, the film does not just serve as a starting point for thinking about philosophical issues related to memory and identity. Rather the film seems to offer a view on these philosophical issues. Blade Runner 2049 offers us a view of memory as spread out over people, objects, and the environment, and it shows us that memory’s role in questions of identity goes beyond merely accurately recalling one’s past. It provides a fascinating cinematic thought experiment regarding the continuity of personal identity over time.
