A child psychologist discovers a connection between a heart transplant recipient's recurring nightmare and a shocking crime, leading her to confront a killer and seek justice for the victim.
"The Memory in My Heart" is a psychological drama centered around the intertwined lives of Carla, a therapist dealing with personal grief, and Milla, a young girl experiencing terrifying nightmares.
The film begins with a sequence in the woods, portraying a young girl being chased by a blurry, menacing figure. This scene is revealed to be a nightmare of 8-year-old Milla, who wakes up in terror in her bedroom.
Milla lives with her parents, Helen and Robert Holland, who are concerned about her night terrors, which seem to have started after she underwent a heart transplant. Carla, in her 40s, is a therapist grappling with the loss of her own child, which has left her detached and grieving. Despite her condition, she agrees to take Milla on as a patient after an encouragement from a colleague.
As Carla begins therapy with Milla, she learns more about the nightmares, which involve a recurring figure chasing Milla. Intrigued and concerned, Carla uses art therapy, where Milla draws images from her dreams, including distinct tattoos she sees on the man chasing her. These tattoos are linked to a neo-Nazi group known as the Aryan Guard of the Republic, suggesting that the man could be real.Simultaneously, Carla's personal life is depicted, showing her struggles with grief and isolation, marked by her reluctance to engage with her surroundings or open up to others, including her estranged husband John, who is a police officer.Carla's investigation into Milla's nightmares leads her to consult with John about the tattoos Milla drew. John identifies them as symbols associated with known criminal elements. As Carla delves deeper, the dreams and reality begin to blur, suggesting that Milla's nightmares may be more than just figments of her imagination.
The plot thickens as Carla and John uncover that Milla's heart donor might have been a victim of the man in her nightmares, proposing a mysterious connection between Milla's transplant and her night terrors. This revelation leads to a confrontation with Milla's parents, who are protective and initially dismissive of Carla's findings.
The story culminates in a climactic revelation where the connections between Milla's nightmares, the tattoos, and her heart donor come to light, forcing all characters to confront the painful truths they have been avoiding. Carla must navigate her own emotional healing while helping Milla and her family face the unsettling reality of Milla's nightmares, ultimately leading to a resolution that intertwines recovery, acceptance, and the acknowledgement of past traumas.
