If I Forget, I Won't Remember examines memory's fluid nature, questioning fixed recollections and the ways forgetting reshapes our past. As details fade, narratives adjust, blending truth and distortion. These shifting memories remain central to identity, where forgetting risks destabilizing self-understanding.
The video focuses on the Brown Hosey family and their ancestral home in the Garcitas Community, where visits act as rituals of memory, linking them with historical threads in their family lineage. Through this narrative, the film highlights the universal challenge of maintaining memories in the face of time while confronting the fragmented and reconstructed nature of personal histories.
The video uses non-linear storytelling, dreamlike imagery, and reversed time to reflect the subjective and fragmented aspects of memory, moving beyond traditional narrative frameworks. A central image—of a sunlit path flanked by ancient oaks—leads to the Garcitas Community, symbolizing Black resilience and ancestral memory. This community, shaped by the pre- and post-slavery periods, mirrors a broader Black history. Landmarks like Mt. Pisgah Church, the Hudler School for Coloreds, and Garcitas Cemetery reflect the legacy of freedmen communities, preserving stories of endurance and hope.
Ultimately, If I Forget, I Won't Remember explores the complex ties between memory and identity. By acknowledging both forgetting and reconstruction, the video invites reflection on selfhood and the role of family and ancestral connections in grounding identity amid the passage of time.