Charger Arts & Entertainment

The Forgotten

Allison Coffey, Charger Staff

Recently, Revolution Studios released The Forgotten, a thriller starring Julianne Moore (Hannibal) and Dominic West (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) as two parents trying to prove their sanity.  Directed by Joseph Ruben, the movie received decent reviews and even had the honor of being number one at the box office the first week after its release.

Moore stars as Telly, a woman going through emotional problems due to the death of her nine-year-old son in a plane crash fourteen months ago. The crash puts stress on Telly’s marriage, as well.   With the help of her psychiatrist, played by Gary Sinise, she tries to get over the death of her son and work on her relationship with her husband, Jim (Anthony Edwards). When her priceless pictures and videotapes of her son go missing, she immediately accuses her husband of taking them away from her. He tries to console her by telling her that they never had any children and that she made the boy, Sam, up. She goes from friend to friend, even her psychiatrist, telling them what happened. They only repeat what Jim told her.
She runs into Ash (West) whose own daughter died in the same plane crash as her son.  At first he does not recognize her, nor does he remember ever having a daughter.  But Telly is persistent; she continues to bother Ash until he finally remembers.  Then the two are sent off on an adventure that will bring them closer together and closer to the answers they desperately seek.

Overall, the movie is very entertaining.  West and Moore worked well with each other and had great chemistry together, even though Moore had a tendency to over or under act in parts. The lighting was dark, which gave the movie a more “real” feeling.  The movie was by no means terrific; the surprise twist was a little over the top, and the ending felt open.
The movie is rated PG-13 due to intense thematic material, some violence and brief language.