The Forgotten (film)
Encyclopedia
The Forgotten is a 2004
American
psychological thriller
film
, directed
by Joseph Ruben
and starring Julianne Moore
. Most of the movie was filmed in New York City
.
The movie revolves around a woman who thinks that she lost her son in a plane crash 14 months ago, only to wake up one morning and be told that she never had a son. All of her memories are intact but with no physical evidence that contradicts the claims of her husband and psychiatrist, she sets out in search for solid evidence of her son's existence.
It was produced by Revolution Studios
for Columbia Pictures
and was released in the United States and Canada on September 24, 2004.
Telly and Ash capture and abuse an agent, who reveals the agents are merely helping "them" and that they do so to protect humankind. The roof of the house blows off and the agent is abducted--presumably taken by "them"--and the two flee. Eventually, she visits Dr. Munce again and he reveals that the disappearances are the work of "them," that the government monitors their trials, all too aware that they have no power to stop "them" from doing whatever they want.
Doctor Munce takes Telly to a dilapidated airport of Quest Airlines and introduces her to an agent of “them”. He tells the Agent that’s “It’s over,” and to stop the experiment because it will only cause more harm. The Agent replies, “It’s not over,” and then tells Telly that she has been a part of an experiment to test whether the bonds between mother and child can be diminished. In her case, her memories could not be erased. Telly refuses to deny her son's existence. She is then shown a door and through it she sees her son playing with toys. She tries to cross the doorway, but is repelled by an invisible barrier. The Agent then subdues her and finally succeeds in erasing Telly's memory of Sam. But when a test question about the name of her son triggers a memory of her pregnancy, all of her memories of Sam return. This causes the Agent to be "abducted" himself, which ends the experiment.
Telly finds herself living a normal life, although she remembers everything that has happened. She reunites with Sam at a park and also sees the Agent there. Also at the park is Ash, watching over his daughter. Like Sam, he has no memory of what has happened. Telly "re"-introduces herself, and the two sit and watch the kids play in the playground.
, 31% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 166 reviews. On Metacritic
, the film had an average score of 43 out of 100, based on 34 reviews.
The film cost $42 million to produce and it eventually grossed $67.1 million in the U.S. and Canada and $50.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $117.5 million.
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
American
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
psychological thriller
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Joseph Ruben
Joseph Ruben
Joseph Paul Ruben is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer.-Movie career:Most of his earlier films are B movies, of which some, such as The Stepfather have become cult classics...
and starring Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. Throughout her career, she has been nominated for four Oscars, six Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards....
. Most of the movie was filmed in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
The movie revolves around a woman who thinks that she lost her son in a plane crash 14 months ago, only to wake up one morning and be told that she never had a son. All of her memories are intact but with no physical evidence that contradicts the claims of her husband and psychiatrist, she sets out in search for solid evidence of her son's existence.
It was produced by Revolution Studios
Revolution Studios
Revolution Studios is an American production company founded in 2000 by Joe Roth, a former chairman of Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Fox. Revolution was formerly a strategic partner of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which distributed and marketed Revolution's films. The company's film division...
for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
and was released in the United States and Canada on September 24, 2004.
Plot
Telly Paretta believes that her son Sam died fourteen months ago, but her husband Jim tells her that she's delusional. Doctor Munce tells her that she's delusional and imagining a life that might have been. He recommends that she be sent to a hospital. She runs away and meets with a man (Ash) who she thinks is the father of her son's friend. At first he dismisses her and calls the police, but after she is taken into custody, he remembers his daughter and rescues Telly. Together they escape and go into hiding, pursued by agents.Telly and Ash capture and abuse an agent, who reveals the agents are merely helping "them" and that they do so to protect humankind. The roof of the house blows off and the agent is abducted--presumably taken by "them"--and the two flee. Eventually, she visits Dr. Munce again and he reveals that the disappearances are the work of "them," that the government monitors their trials, all too aware that they have no power to stop "them" from doing whatever they want.
Doctor Munce takes Telly to a dilapidated airport of Quest Airlines and introduces her to an agent of “them”. He tells the Agent that’s “It’s over,” and to stop the experiment because it will only cause more harm. The Agent replies, “It’s not over,” and then tells Telly that she has been a part of an experiment to test whether the bonds between mother and child can be diminished. In her case, her memories could not be erased. Telly refuses to deny her son's existence. She is then shown a door and through it she sees her son playing with toys. She tries to cross the doorway, but is repelled by an invisible barrier. The Agent then subdues her and finally succeeds in erasing Telly's memory of Sam. But when a test question about the name of her son triggers a memory of her pregnancy, all of her memories of Sam return. This causes the Agent to be "abducted" himself, which ends the experiment.
Telly finds herself living a normal life, although she remembers everything that has happened. She reunites with Sam at a park and also sees the Agent there. Also at the park is Ash, watching over his daughter. Like Sam, he has no memory of what has happened. Telly "re"-introduces herself, and the two sit and watch the kids play in the playground.
Alternate version
When the film was aired on basic cable the accident was changed, with all mentions of "plane" and "airport" dubbed to "bus" and "terminal".Cast
- Julianne MooreJulianne MooreJulianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. Throughout her career, she has been nominated for four Oscars, six Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards....
– Telly Paretta - Christopher Kovaleski – Sam Paretta
- Jessica HechtJessica HechtJessica Hecht is an American actress, known for numerous Broadway appearances and TV roles.-Background:Hecht was born in Princeton, New Jersey, the daughter of Lenore, a psychotherapist, and Richard Hecht, a physicist. Jessica moved with her parents and her sister to Bloomfield, CT, at the age of...
– Eliot - Gary SiniseGary SiniseGary Alan Sinise is an American actor, film director and musician. During his career, Sinise has won various awards including an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1992, Sinise directed, and played the role of George Milton in the successful film adaptation of...
– Dr. Jack Munce - Alfre WoodardAlfre WoodardAlfre Ette Woodard is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Grammy Awards, 17 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.She is known for her role in films such as Cross Creek, Miss...
– Det. Anne Pope - Anthony EdwardsAnthony EdwardsAnthony Charles Edwards is an American actor and director. He has appeared in various movies and television shows, including Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Top Gun, Zodiac, Revenge of the Nerds, Northern Exposure and ER.-Early life:Edwards was born in Santa Barbara, California, the son of Erika...
– Jim Paretta - Dominic WestDominic WestDominic Gerard Fe West is an English actor best known for his role as Detective Jimmy McNulty in the HBO drama series The Wire.-Film and TV:...
– Ash Correll - Kathryn Faughnan – Lauren Correll
- Linus RoacheLinus RoacheLinus William Roache is an English actor.-Early life:Roache was born in Manchester, the son of Coronation Street actor William Roache and actress Anna Cropper. Roache was educated at Bishop Luffa Church of England School in Chichester, West Sussex and at the independent Rydal School in Colwyn Bay,...
– "A Friendly Man" (Mr. Shineer) - Lee TergesenLee TergesenLee Allen Tergesen is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Tobias Beecher in HBO’s prison drama Oz and as Evan Wright in Generation Kill.-Early life:...
– Al Petalis
Reception
Critics gave the film generally negative reviews. On the review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 31% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 166 reviews. On Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the film had an average score of 43 out of 100, based on 34 reviews.
Box office performance
The film opened September 24, 2004 in the United States and Canada and grossed $21 million in 3,104 theaters its opening weekend, ranking #1 at the box office.The film cost $42 million to produce and it eventually grossed $67.1 million in the U.S. and Canada and $50.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $117.5 million.