Movie Review: The Forgotten – One of the Most Intense Thriller Movies

This is a movie I think about often. I’m not sure why it so frequently comes to mind, but it does. Perhaps it’s the powerful story or the sheer excitement of the entire plot line. Or maybe it’s because it’s one of the first things I ever saw Julianne Moore in, and it really made me love her. Whatever the reason, The Forgotten is one of the most intense thriller movies I have ever seen, and it’s one that I can watch again and again, and never get bored of.

Plot Overview

Julianne Moore plays Telly Paretta, a troubled mother trying to come to terms with the loss of her son fourteen months prior when he was killed in a plane crash.

Telly is still seeing a therapist, as she is having an incredibly tough time with it – what mother wouldn’t right? But she just can’t seem to let go. She lovingly looks at old pictures and videos of Sam on a regular basis.

She comes home one day to find the pictures of Sam are gone and the videotapes are all blank.

It is then that both her husband and her therapist decide that enough is enough, and they tell her the truth: she never really had a son, he is a figment of her imagination and she is simply longing for a life that could have been.

Dr. Munce suggests she be placed in a mental hospital as she cannot seem to let Sam go, but she becomes very emotional and runs away. She finds a man named Ashley, who she knows to be the father of one of Sam’s friends. He originally denies ever having a daughter, but after enough of Telly’s pushing, he remembers.

He goes after Telly who has now been taken into custody after he called the police on her. He breaks her free, and they set out to discover the real truth about their children.

My Thoughts

This movie was not received as well as was hoped, and it received largely negative reviews from critics. I can hardly imagine why. Per Wikipedia, one of the common complaints was that the premise was too ridiculous to take seriously. Not really a fair argument in my opinion because it is a movie, and this is fiction we’re talking about here! It doesn’t have to be realistic to be a good movie. If that were true, the number of good movies in this world would be tragically small.

I personally think Julianne Moore is always excellent, and this movie is no exception. She plays this character exceptionally well. She is so, so believable as a grieving mother who loves her son so much, and refuses to accept a truth she knows to be false.

The movie starts out a little on the slow side, but I don’t think this is a negative thing at all in the case of The Forgotten. While the action may be slow, the dialogue is not. Emotions run high and the mystery and confusion start seeping in almost right away, and you’re just begging for answers.

When Telly meets up with Ash, is when things really start to heat up. Excitement builds and tensions rise like there’s no tomorrow. For the longest time, all you get are more questions and more mysteries.

There are many moments in this movie that will really get your heart racing. I won’t go so far as to call them “jump scares” as this is a term usually reserved for horror movies or perhaps more paranormal thrillers, but this is the closest description I can come up with. While not really “scary” there are things that will surely make you jump, and get your adrenaline soaring.

I don’t believe these moments and scenes are meant to scare, but rather to add to the intensity that the atmosphere creates. And believe me when I say, they do this job well.

Overall, this movie is done very well. The dialogue is well thought out and believable, the acting is strong, and each scene is set perfectly. From busy, dreary city streets to quiet, skulky gas stations, creepy, sketchy woods and a bright and cozy but abandoned house, the locations help tell the story with a real sense of flair.

The way this movie ends really blew my mind. I suppose you could call it a bit of a twist – but it’s more than that. I’m not sure it even has a word.

Conclusion

The first time I ever watched this movie, I walked away in awe. I’m still not sure why – I don’t think it was one specific thing that left me so in love with what I had just seen. I think it was everything – the powerful journey to the truth, the decisions powered by both desperation and determination, and all the excitement in between. It was just so fantastical, I wanted to do it again immediately.

If you’ve seen The Forgotten, I’d love to discuss it with you! Drop a comment below and tell me what you thought!

Want To Watch?

It is available for purchase on Amazon: