Forget Me Not

I loved this movie. Poster of the movie make it look like some kind of a generic indie romantic comedy but it couldn't be more wrong. It was such a pleasant surprise in terms of pretty much everything.

I don't want to give stuff/spoiler away because there are some elements that's only reveled at the end that changes the entire perspective of the story so I'll just say it is more of a character driven story about the hardships of life than a typical "romantic" movie. It reminded me a of a movie called "Once" that I really liked as well. The actors-although unknown- did an amazing job! It had great music, and narrative and so much "heart "than I expected. It is definitely a great movie to check out.

I anticipated a clone of "Before Sunrise," which I really enjoyed, but this film was much more than the story of two people spending 24 hours together, sharing tiny parts of their lives and moving on. The film sets the stage and encourages the viewer to imagine the truth about the characters without any cinematic tricks. The pace was perfect and the film devoid of unnecessary dialog. Just as in true life, some of the conversations were unfinished or interrupted as the film carried on. Several times I found myself forgetting that I was watching a film, as I was so caught up in the humanity of the characters. The acting was truly first rate. It was beautifully filmed, using really super London locations and fun music which gave it the look of a much more expensive finished product. I will keep this gem in my movie library, listed under "inspirational romances."

This film has a lot of potential. The cast, particularly the two leads, are great. The premise - two strangers meet and spend one long night falling in love - is perhaps a little predictable, but still holds charm. The setting - London city at night - is picturesque. However, the script fails to deliver and our two star-crossed lovers spend far too much of the film skimming the surface of well-worn conversation topics, trapped in cliché scenarios.

Lingering looks? Check. Conversations about God and the meaning of life? Check. Rain-soaked embraces? Check. Guy giving up his jacket? You bet. Bittersweet ending? Of course. Piano playing, swapping of embarrassing childhood stories, walks along rivers, revelations of painful pasts, spontaneous musical interludes - this film has it all.

That's not to say the film doesn't have its charms. There are some interesting twists in the conversation, and there are moments towards the end where the characters manage to break free, however temporarily, from their cookie-cut roles of Tortured Artist and Manic Pixie Dream Girl. The problem is that the formula has been done so often, and so much better. See: Before Sunrise (1995), Once (2006), Breakfast Club (1985). This film is by no means terrible, but with so many other good films available to watch, why waste your time?

Yeah, this film is amazing. The most underrated romantic drama of all time.

It's curiously a strange cousin to Lost in Translation.

Beautifully shot in London at some great locations. Cinematography is top notch.

Brilliantly acted. Just so gorgeous to look at. It deserves to be on Blu-ray. I would buy it to replace my worn out dvd.

Lovely London, great acting, great story.

Blah blah blah, why do we need to use 600 letters to explain how good a movie is.

It's really good, really great, really excellent.

Before Sunrise and Lost in Translation, yeah yeah yeah. It's just as good, so great.

London never looked so good.

I really love it, oh yeah!....

Categorising the film as a romance may have done it a disservice. Yes, it's a love story but it's also about how we create a place for ourselves in this life through the stories we tell and our relationships with other people. Will is utterly decent, Eve is free-spirited and perhaps a little rootless but they're both in the process of changing their view of themselves and how they present themselves to others.

As a viewer, you always know more about Will than Eve does which develops a certain investment in the story. There are clues along the way to the secret we already know - it's easy to see how she misses them and the fact that she does means we develop an empathy for her simple optimism. There are also clues, right from the start, to the secret we don't know. Knowing what we know from the outset, it's easier for us to spot those clues and add them up than it is for Eve so the revelation is perhaps less shocking for us than for her; for us it perhaps feels more like an inevitability. It's a clever device that tends to pull viewers in rather than feeling overly manipulative.

Tobias Menzies as Will and Genevieve O'Reilly as Eve both give wonderfully natural and believable performances, making it easy to just lose yourself in the world of the film. Conversations ebb and flow, some things are unsaid, some things are never finished, just as they are in real life (what's the kicker in Will's most embarrassing story? We'll never know!). The London locations give it a "bigger" feel than many low-budget films.

It may be a romance, it may even be a weepy but I think it goes beyond that with a message that is ultimately positive and optimistic - don't be afraid to care and don't be afraid to let others care for you.