Forgotten, The
Entry updated 18 January 2017. Tagged: Film.
Film (2004). Revolution Studios presents a Jinks/Cohen Company production. A Joseph Ruben film. Directed by Joseph Ruben. Written by Gerald DiPego. Cast includes Julianne Moore, Linus Roache, Gary Sinise, Dominic West and Alfre Woodard. 91 minutes. Colour.
Given a dramatic weight that it does not deserve by the performance of Julianne Moore, one of the finer actors of her generation, The Forgotten promises an intriguing reality-bending drama but quickly dissolves into a poor relation of The X-Files (1993-2002).
Moore plays a grieving mother, Telly, who lost her child in a plane crash. When all evidence of her son disappears, and her husband claims no memory of his existence, Telly doubts her own sanity. But she soon discovers that her son was abducted by Aliens, and so she sets out to retrieve him while government and alien forces try to thwart her.
The Forgotten would have worked better without science fiction trappings at all. As it is, the fall in the movie's quality after the first act is precipitous. The "twist" of alien abduction is signposted long in advance through the constant use of meaningful aerial shots, and apart from its lead actress, The Forgotten has little to distinguish it from a made-for-television production. [JN]
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