The Forgotten

Cast: Julianne Moore, Dominic West, Gary Sinise, Alfre Woodard, Anthony Edwards, Linus Roache
Director: Joseph Ruben
Screenplay: Gerald DiPego
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Rated: M low level coarse language, low level violence
Running Time: 91 Minutes

What If Everything You've Experienced, Everything You've Known, Never Happened?

Synopsis:
What if you were told that every moment you experienced and every memory you held dear never happened? In Revolution Studios' haunting psychological thriller 'The Forgotten', Telly Paretta (Julianne Moore) is tormented by the memory of her eight-year-old son Sam's death in a plane crash 14 months ago. While trying to work through her grief, and her subsequent estrangement from her husband Jim (Anthony Edwards), she is informed by her psychiatrist, Dr. Munce (Gary Sinise), that she is suffering from delusions, that her son never existed and she is fabricating his memories. Stunned, she tries to find evidence of Sam's existence - photos, videos, scrapbooks. But it has all disappeared. Telly is convinced she is going mad until she meets Ash Correll (Dominic West), the father of one of the other plane crash victims. Together, they embark on a search to prove the existence of their children and reclaim their sanity.

My Verdict:
In this latest psychological thriller, 'The Forgotten', it has a very scary premise for any parent - having a child, losing the child in an accident and then everyone you know telling you the child never existed, even your husband. Telly Paretta just cannot reconcile the idea that she never had a child, even 14 months after his supposed death in a plane crash. Even her psychiatrist thinks she is delusional but she is vehemently determined to discover just why all these people she has grown to love and more importantly trust, are telling her that her son Sam never existed. Scary. Telly meets up with Ash, a man who also lost his daughter in the same accident, whom she had previously befriended at a playground where their children used to play. Ash initially denies having a daughter in the alcohol-induced haze that he has since been living in, but eventually realises that he did indeed have a daughter and it is from here that the movie steps into second gear as Ash and Telly try to discover just what did happen to their children.

Set in New York in the bleaker autumn months where there isn't any sunshine or colour certainly conveys the situation that Telly and Ash find themselves in. Before long there are lots of chases on foot and by car as they find themselves being pursued by police and a special national security force. This adds further intrigue to the story and more reason for them to discover the truth.

Many of 'good' moments in this movie have unfortunately been revealed in the movie trailer, which is disappointing although at least the real reason behind the children's disappearance has been kept secret. Julianne Moore is the focal point for the entire movie and does convey the intensity of a mothers' anguish at losing her child and the lengths a mother would go to find answers. The rest of the cast are also believable and adequate. Whilst not the most stimulating thriller 'The Forgotten' has enough going for it to make it reasonably worthwhile.

Rating : B-

Christina Bruce