The Forgotten (DVD 2005)

Telly Paretta (Julianne Moore) is a grieving mother. Her son Sam was involved in a plane crash on his way to camp. Every day she goes through the same ritual of looking through his drawers, watching videos and studying photos of the boy. Her psychiatrist (Gary Sinise) has tried everything to stop her, but she cannot let go.

Then one day her family photo has one person missing. Sam. She questions her husband (Anthony Edwards) what he has done. Then all the photos are gone, the videos are blank and newspaper clippings of the accident have disappeared. Her doctor tells her that Sam never existed and that she created him after a miscarriage. But Telly doesn’t believe them. Her only hope is a fellow victim of the crash, Ash (Dominic West), whose daughter was Sam’s best friend. But he too doesn’t know what Telly is talking about, until she makes a discovery in his flat that brings Ash round.

This could quite easily have been an episode of The X Files, and no one would have noticed. A bizarre mixture of thriller, family drama, chase movie and sci-fi flick. There are long scenes in which the characters cover the same ground (we have to find out children etc) but it’s quite gripping, if a little silly in places.

Julianne Moore proves once again what an outstanding actress she really is. Not only is she extremely watchable, she makes you feel like you are suffering along with her. As she gets closer to the truth, you have already lived the pain that she has. Even when the script goes into total stupidity, she manages to make every scene believable.

With a good supporting cast (Edwards and Sinise are a little wasted), Dominic West manages to keep up with Moore’s powerhouse performance, but you do question about their relationship.

Joesph Rubin handles the direction well and the special effects (when they happen) are shocking, but it does outstay its welcome. (Even though the alternative version on DVD is more satisfactory than the cinema release.

Don’t expect the greatest suspense thriller ever, but sit back and drink in Julianne Moore’s stunning performance.

Story:
Until the very last moments of Joseph Ruben's spooky suspense thriller, viewers will question who's who in the us-versus-them conundrum. We have but one hint: 'It's not about the children'. But as local police, the feds, and other unknowns follow Telly (Julianne Moore), a young mother who refuses to forget the death of her 9-year-old son Sam, it's clear that the children are a hot-button issue. While it's fishy enough that nobody--not even Telly's own husband (Anthony Edwards)--seems to remember Sam, and the plane crash she claims killed him was never reported in the newspapers, it's a question of whose story to believe. And Moore, the frantic mother with madness flickering in her eyes, may simply be delusional, or so her shrink (Gary Sinise) says. But when she finds another grieving parent, Ash (Dominic West), whose daughter died in the same accident, she now has a partner in conspiracy theory. Together, Ash and Telly flee through the damp alleyways beneath the Brooklyn Bridge where steam escapes from potholes and police searchlights penetrate the gothic fog. Somebody knows something about the children, and 'they' want Ash and Telly to forget. THE FORGOTTEN springs into an action-adventure race for the truth, with surprising special effects, exciting jolts, and bird's-eye camera shots on ominous geometric patterns in the urban landscape keeping this mystery in fifth gear.

Comments:
You won't realize till the very last moment that WE are the experiment, and that i find very clever made, as during the movie you come up with quite alot of different ideas, yet they all shatter to dust till the last 15 minutes or so.

AWESOME movie, very catching & dramatic, very cool made. Definately Recommendable. A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++