Forgotten: Predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, in which the audience can follow the main character's path to figuring out the truth, then this one might be for you. Forgotten is a psychological thriller riddled with suspense. Written and directed by Jang Hang-jun, it was released on Netflix in November of 2017. Hang-jun took inspiration from a friend's story, in which his cousin left home and returned a radically different person. He was also inspired by Bluebeard, a French folktale in which a man murders several of his wives and attempts the murder of one.

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PSA: Usually I would attach a trailer for you to watch on your own, however I truly believe there are no good trailers except for the one that Netflix provides. The trailers that are available on YouTube contain shots that may or may not spoil the movie. Personally, I would suggest you watch the trailer that Netflix provides or go into the movie blind. Any other trailers can be watched with your discretion.

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Here are the major characters of the story:

Jin-seok: the youngest child of the Seok family, he is a devoted brother, and a curious person

Yoo-seok: the oldest child of the Seok family, let's just say...he is a mysterious fellow

Mr. and Mrs. Seok: just some loving parents...nothing more, nothing less

The casting is something that makes this movie great. Once you watch the movie in full, it becomes clear as to why they casted who they did for the family. The acting itself is good as well, I think each actor/actress does their character justice, especially the main and supporting characters. I must admit there are some cringey moments, specifically with certain characters that feel very surface-level, but it's a minor detail that doesn't affect the story much.

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Without any spoilers, the general plot follows the Seok family. They move into a new house but Jin-seok, the youngest of the two brothers does not settle in as easily. Not long after moving in, Jin-seok witnesses his older brother, Yoo-seok being abducted. When Yoo-seok suddenly returns, Jin-seok is not able to accept this reality. He searches for the truth behind his brother's abduction, experiencing twists and turns along the way.

There are many great aspects about this film. The characters are well-developed and work well together in creating an uncomfortable environment for Jin-seok. The often rainy and dingy setting sets a visceral tone. With each passing minute of most of the film, the suspense was killing me. I was on the edge of my seat for a while, and found myself frowning at the screen, as I knew something was wrong but couldn't quite figure it out. There are a couple twists in the story, and I really enjoyed the way they played out. Watching this film for the first time was a great experience, though it is one of those films that loses its spark after the first watch.

This is really where the downfall of the movie comes. About the first half of the movie is excellent. I was really into the premise, and I couldn't wait to see where the plot was headed. However, once the big twist was revealed I was sort of let down. I think there was amazing set up for a unique plot in the beginning, but the end felt predictable. The first part of the big reveal was still great, although also predictable. I think the acting really made it enjoyable and also hard to stomach. After the hype of the reveal dies down though, it felt as though the writer was just trying to quickly wrap the story up.

This film is rated TV-MA on Netflix though I would really just give it a warning for fairly graphic violence, some that includes a younger kid.

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Forgotten earns a 3 out of 5 zombie heads from me. For the first half of the movie I definitely would not have noticed a zombie apocalypse right outside of my house, I was pretty engrossed. However, with the slightly disappointing ending, I would probably begin to hear some zombies. Nonetheless, I still recommend this film for a one-time watch, as it was still an enjoyable experience.

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“Forgotten (2017 Film).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Feb. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgotten_(2017_film).

“Bluebeard.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Mar. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebeard.