Overall B. Release date September 23, Sexual Content A-. Profanity C-. Substance Use C. Get Content Details. The Guide to our Grades. Parent Movie Review by Kerry Bennett We all have days when the memory slips and little specifics elude us, like where we left the car keys or put our glasses. For Telly Paretta Julianne Moore , this dilemma is becoming nightmarishly real. About author. We've already got one M. Night Shyamalan, and even he doesn't really seem to be on his game these days.
But that's exactly how this muddled science-fiction thriller plays out — like the work of a Shyamalan imitator. Not to give too much away, but at times "The Forgotten" seems like a longer, slightly-less-confusing but also less effective episode of TV's "The X-Files.
Worse, it also wastes the talents of some very good actors, chiefly Julianne Moore, who stars as Telly Paretta, a New York mother who's still grieving over the mysterious disappearance and apparent death of her son more than a year earlier.
That's driven her therapist Gary Sinise and her husband Anthony Edwards to desperate measures. At the same time, however, both men insist that Telly never had a child in the first place. The increasingly delusional woman refuses to believe them, of course, and just when she's about to give up, Telly gets some unexpected help from Ashley Correll Dominic West , a washed-up former hockey player who believes he also has a missing daughter.
While the two try to get to the bottom of this mystery, they find another interested party in Ann Pope Alfre Woodard , a detective who's suspicious of the National Security Agency and its Men in Black who suddenly show up to claim her case.
There are a couple of moments that may startle some audiences, if they haven't seen the film's overly revealing trailers and TV spots. Based on 7 reviews. Based on 10 reviews. Get it now Searching for streaming and purchasing options Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Get it now on Searching for streaming and purchasing options X of Y Official trailer. Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update The Forgotten. Your privacy is important to us. We won't share this comment without your permission. If you chose to provide an email address, it will only be used to contact you about your comment. See our privacy policy. A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie. Positive Role Models. Strong female and minority characters. A lot of tension and peril and some jump-out-at-you surprises, brief grisly images. Brief strong language. Character abuses alcohol. What parents need to know Parents need to know that this movie has frequent tense scenes with characters in peril and some startling surprises.
Continue reading Show less. Stay up to date on new reviews. His admired older brother Yoo-seok Kim Mu-yeol is kidnapped before his eyes, but the police don't seem that interested and no ransom is sought.
When Yoo-seok returns weeks later, he has no memory of the abduction, but he seems different, sinister. Younger brother Jin-seok takes anxiety medication and has terrible nightmares in which his beloved and revered older brother is a criminal who is torturing him, even trying to kill him.
The story that unfolds involves a cold-case unsolved murder, traumatic amnesia, insurance fraud, fatal car accidents, psychological role-playing, hypnosis, and kidnapping. Two seemingly good men are swept up in events beyond their control and seemingly turn bad, but even that's not certain. This thriller gets off to a galloping start and could easily become a cult classic. Director Jang Hang-jun switches genres and moods effortlessly, twisting the plot back and forth in time, moving from believability to disbelief-suspending with a steady hand.
Even when Forgotten feels as if the latest turn seems incredible and the story may be losing its through-line, Jang Hang-jun snaps the narrative back onto his carefully drawn map dictating the bizarre journey this movie is built to take us on.
For example, given the sloppiness of a barely planned murder, it seems inconceivable that the crime goes unsolved for decades. So, yes, there are shaky plot points, but the heart and empathy this movie is ultimately based on emerges at the end even if "happily ever after" cannot be achieved. Kids and younger teens will almost certainly be frightened by chases, torture, and bloody murder scenes. Families can talk about the way Forgotten manipulates the audience's perceptions about its characters.
What are some of the ways that movies identify bad guys as distinct from good guys? How does this movie use those standards to confuse viewers? What do you think the filmmaker is trying to say about preconceived notions and prejudices? Does he suggest that even the worst of us may have good reasons for being the way we are? Does that excuse bad behavior and crime?
How do you feel about the elements that first lead us to believe this may be a horror film, then suggest it's a murder mystery, and then a thriller? Can you identify how the filmmaker achieves those effects? Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. See how we rate.
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