11/09/06 The Forgotten

The Forgotten (2004), directed by Joseph Ruben

watched w/ Leslie (partially); DVD (borrowed from parents) @ home

This is one of those movies where you never know quite what to expect, as the previews for it always seem a bit interesting…but never quite enough to hold your attention all the way through the commercial. You hear mixed reviews about it left & right, from friends who haven’t seen it yet, but just have a thing for Julianne Moore thrillers. The title seems so simplistic and straightforward, but you can’t quite remember the name of it when perusing the aisles at the local video store or (if you were really ambitious) staring at the showtimes flashing on the marquee at the theater and debating between the ambiguous title and the latest Eddie Murphy misdirected comedy flop. What is it about those titles, the one word ones that jump out at you, but don’t quite conjure up feelings when you try to remember it (ironic huh, that it’s called “Forgotten”)? However this film came into your possession (somehow my family owns it and recommended indirectly for me to borrow it), hopefully you gave it a chance, because it ain’t half bad. And speaking of ain’t half bad, why does Julianne Moore have that uncanny ability to seem strangely erotic (kind of like a goth chick who hasn’t dyed her red hair jet black yet) and totally creepy (kind of like the police sketch of an alien visitor with a wig on) at the same time…and no matter what her role is?! Uh, where was I? Oh yes, the movie…not half bad. Moore plays a grieving mother, Telly Paretta, who is struggling to cope with the tragic loss of her 9 year-old son and keep her marriage (to “E.R.” & “Revenge Of The Nerds’” Anthony Edwards) afloat amidst the bleakness. While seeking help from her shrink (“Lt. Dan’s magic legs” Gary Sinise), Telly’s memories of her son come flooding back in nightmarish forms. What happens next is unsettling, as she slowly begins to piece her sons’ memories back together…she is told by her shrink and husband and all others around her that she in fact never had a child at all. Obviously flabbergasted, she refuses to believe this and claims that everyone is out to get her. Happening across another random man, whom she forms a romantic attachment to and seems to suffer the same mysterious loss of his daughter, Telly is dead-set on finding out the truth. Top secret government agencies seem to be behind the cover-up of the childrens’ deaths, their existence, and the attempted brainwashing of Telly’s sanity. But why? That’s where it gets trippy…and I don’t want to ruin it, but let’s just say about an hour & half into this unsettling yet slow-paced thriller…um, someone gets just sucked up into the sky. That’s all I’ll say about that, and it catches you completely off guard (although someone told me about it prior, but I still forgot about it & was surprised). I guess I must have forgotten. He he.

3 out of 5 stars