“The Forgotten” centers on Telly Paretta (Julianne Moore), a woman deep in mourning for the loss of her young son. Telly last said goodbye to him as he boarded a plane with a few of his schoolmates. All of the passengers perished in a plane crash and now Telly’s life is in a permanent holding pattern. 14 months after the deadly event, she’s still going through his photos, touching his possessions, and watching videos of him on a daily basis. She’s also in therapy.
Telly’s husband Jim (Anthony Edwards) isn’t in mourning. Why? Because he doesn’t remember having a son. In fact, Telly’s the only one who has any memories of her child, the other students, or the plane crash. Everyone believes she’s delusional, but Telly holds fast to the strong memories of having a child, refusing to let go of the son she knows she loved and lost.
A random meeting with Ash Correll (Dominic West), the father of one of the other deceased kids, sets the story in motion and provides Telly with another human being who remembers the supposedly imaginary children and the plane crash. So who - or what - could effectively remove all memories of these missing children? Telly and Ash team up to discover the truth, even if it takes them into the world of government conspiracies and cover-ups.
If you can believe a retired hockey player who’s an alcoholic (West) and a book editor/stay-at-home mom (Moore) can outrun and evade highly trained National Security Agency officers, then you might be able to get into this film. I had a hard time believing these two could carry off half the things the story put them through and because of that, “The Forgotten” didn’t work. These two are barely functional yet they can connect the dots and stay one or two steps ahead of more than just one police agency at all times. They even survive one of the most realistic side-impact car crashes I’ve seen on film without a scratch (I must have missed the part announcing their possession of superpowers).
One point in the filmmaker’s favor is Moore’s character, while an emotional wreck, is actually a strong female lead. She’s tough, fierce, and intellectually superior to most of the men in the movie. Not that her actions necessarily make sense, but at least she's not a shrinking violet.
The special effects aren’t bad and they’re certainly not the centerpiece of this film. No, it’s definitely a psychological sci-fi thriller with effects thrown in only as needed. Most of the screen time is filled by Julianne Moore and Dominic West, both of whom do commendable work. West provides the film’s comic relief without milking his lines too much. His delivery is natural, and the comedy comes from his reaction to extraordinary events.
“The Forgotten” starts out strong, has some real creepy moments halfway through, and then fizzles out by the time it gets to the ending. The premise is interesting, though it’s nothing new. We’ve seen variations of the theme in dozens of sci-fi movies. That can be forgiven – or forgotten – if the movie carries it off well, but as with a lot of thrillers, the core idea isn’t enough to sustain the audience’s interest for the duration of the film. Things are too tidy, too wrapped up with a neat bow, to make “The Forgotten” unforgettable.
GRADE: C+
"The Forgotten" was directed by Joseph Ruben and is rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, some violence, and brief language.
