Movie Review: Forgotten

Forgotten is a Korean Psychological Thriller that contains the most insane and beautifully written plot twist in all of film writing. The gasp I let out was so loud I probably woke up my neighbors (I was watching this absolute masterpiece in the middle of the night).
Now, I won’t spoil this movie because I want you to appreciate every scene, word, and breath within this perfect story.
The film starts off with a family of four moving into a new house. The time is set to be in the year 1997. Within the family is a pair of brothers. One night, as the two brothers were walking around their neighborhood, the older brother was kidnapped. He continues to be missing for 19 days until he is reunited with his family.
Now that the family is reunited, everything is great, right? It would seem so. The parents are happy, the older brother is healthy, everything is supposed to be great.
Everything is not great. The younger brother, Jin-seok, notices something; his brother is different. It’s not that noticeable at first. In the beginning he has very indistinct changes. Like in the manner of how he walks. However, we see differences in his actions, or his change in whereabouts at night as the movie goes on. He is different from the older brother Jin-seok remembers. Did someone replace his brother?
Throughout the film the main character tries to find the truth of this entire situation. What really happened? What is real and what is fake? Why has he been lied to?
The cinematography absolutely carried this movie. The lighting. The angles. The sound. They were able to capture the intensity of an escape, the rush of a pursuit, and the color of regret.
This movie’s acting is so convincing and intense you forget you are in your room staring at a screen. Not only the main character, but the supporting roles performances are what allows this movie to be so beautifully done. The raw emotions of fear and confusion is constantly portrayed by the main character.
As his story does a complete 180, so do his emotions. From fear to regret, and from confusion to understanding. As the realization of his immense mistake comes to the surface, we the audience become conflicted because we ask ourselves, are we rooting for the right person?
This movie makes you question: Who is in the wrong? Should we face the consequences of our actions that have long been “forgotten”? Will I ever watch a movie as great as this ever again?
I know I am being vague, but this is intentional. I simply cannot give out any more information on this movie. I would rather you watch this movie with a clean slate and, once finished, run to me and tell me how much you loved it. We can digest this art together.
This movie took me two days to finish. I started watching it in the middle of the night but once I got to a certain scene I got so scared I had to immediately turn off my phone and go to bed. I kid you not that I almost threw my phone across my room out of pure shock.
I then finished the movie the next morning where there was daylight to keep me company. There, I gasped about ten times more and proceeded to tear up at the ending.
This movie is full of suspense, mystery, and it will give you the chills.
It has subtitles and is also available to watch with an English voice over. You can watch Forgotten on Netflix or on a very ethical and legal website!
Overall, I rate this movie a 10/10 for the cinematography, 10/10 for the acting, and a 10/10 for the writing.
For the love of my sanity, go watch this movie.