Remember Me

Nice to see something with a different story & plot.

I really enjoyed it.

I decided to watch this upon viewing the C4 show 'Gogglebox' (a show about people watching telly in their own homes, for our international friends) and seeing the people at home moving forward in their seats, with their hands over their mouths, then jumping at certain parts. I thought it looked creepy and interesting.

Having watched it - it really is!

Firstly, it is beautifully shot. The landscape shots are truly atmospheric. And the score is tense and captivating.

Then there's the cast. The three main characters (the old man - Michael Palin, the young girl - Jodie Comer and the copper - Mark Addy) are all excellently played. I was especially impressed with Jodie Comer, who was also marvelous in My Mad, Fat Diary - I'm expecting great things from her in future!

And then there's the story, which is where I have a bit of trouble (and is the only reason I didn't rate it higher). I am intrigued by it - I can't work out how it's going to end yet. I do keep seeing bits that remind me of other work, though. I can see plot elements of The Ring (original Japanese version), Dark Water (original Japanese version), the Piano, Inception... I could go on. And I'm finding this somewhat distracting: "ooh, where have I seen that before..?"

It is good, though. I will certainly be watching the final hour with interest :-)

It was great to see Michael Palin in the starring role of this mystery drama. It's quite creepy and scary. I think there's an MR James influence, as the imagery of the ghostly figure feels a bit like the ghostly entity in his 'Whistle And I'll Come to You' tale.

I don't want to spoil the story or go into detail, except to say it's an enjoyable watch and edge of seat viewing at times.

It's a little disappointing at the end I thought after a good start in the first and second parts, nevertheless, still worth watching if you enjoy creepy mystery stories that keep you guessing and wondering.

I particularly liked the realism of the drama, set in the north, and the interaction of the young girl and the elderly character played by Michael Palin.

The photography creates the atmosphere setting for the story brilliantly. Great to see Sir Michael do a serious role which he does so well. Complimented by Jody Comer here in this TV programme in the early stages of her climb to fame.

Hannah Ward (Jodie Comer) works at a nursing home. She lives with her younger brother Sean and drunken mother Jan (Julia Sawalha). A social worker falls to her death along with the window and Hannah finds elderly patient Tom Parfitt (Michael Palin) cowering on the floor. He is sent away to a hospital and he leaves her his suitcase. Police detective Rob Fairholme (Mark Addy) investigates the likely accident unless the frail old man somehow pushed the dead lady. Hannah is disturbed by strange occurrences and tracks down Tom who has gone missing. She is confronted by a ghost from Tom's past.

This is a BBC TV production. It's three hour-long episodes. It's a slow moody ghost story. It has a nice moodiness. It's a little too slow. There's no need for its three hour length. A conventional hour and a half movie would work fine. It's a ghost story but it's neither scary nor tense. It's a little spooky but that's all. Certainly, I watched this for Palin. He has a minor haunted role. It's limited but it's still nice to see him anyways. A shorter theatrical movie with a better payoff would make this better. I can imagine a J-horror with more effective scares.