Forgotten [2017]: Takes a Piece of You

Forgotten catches you off guard at times and when it does, you’d feel you are watching a different thing altogether. In a strangely twisted story, your emotions as the viewer are allowed to be exaggerated but never apart from a grim realization of how devastatingly humanity can die in the wake of inevitable circumstances. Sometimes, you are just torn between the decisions the characters make; like watching through a tinted glass a rampant duel born out of moral conflicts and not knowing which side to root for. No one is evil; no one is good; only circumstances are.

Jin-seok idolizes his brother and feels caught in a turmoil when his brother gets abducted and returns after a few days as a different person. The taut mystery that ensues is nothing short of raw thrills, essentially handled with great techniques of visual storytelling and compelling soundtrack. The pace of the movie is one of its many virtues not to mention the extremely sincere acting justifying each character’s minute psychological afflictions in solitude and guilt. Wonderful performance for the lead character by Ha-Neul Kang! He mixes the charm in his smile and the profound sadness in his eyes underscoring the thematic brilliance of the whole story.

Forgotten tries to be many things. Whether it’s a riveting chase sequence or a stylish shift in one’s character fork or a nerve-racking horror element or a beautifully expressive scene of love among the family or a bizarre revelation of an impending suspense, it does everything so greatly and so darkly. How one’s deep love for their family can quickly get twisted and cave in to manifest as a snake eating its own tail. Forgotten delivers it with so much empathy and dedication. The picture-perfect closing scene can wring you into a deeply emotional trance as an aftermath.