Remember Me

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Pierce Brosnan, Lena Olin, Chris Cooper

Director: Allen Coulter

Release Date: Friday 2nd April 2010

Running Time: 113mins

Certificate: 12A

Released By: E1 Entertainment

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Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson – Twilight) is a young man struggling to find direction in life. He comes from a wealthy background but doesn’t get along with his father Charles (Pierce Brosnan – Die Another Day). Because of this Tyler decides to live away from his influence and money. His family are still grieving from the suicide of his older brother a few years back and it’s something that still haunts Tyler every day. Through a twist of fate, Tyler gets introduced to Ally (Emilie de Ravin – Lost) a confident young woman who attends the same university as him and who is also dealing with her own inner demons. Tyler and Ally soon embark on a relationship, one which they both weren’t looking for but one that could ultimately save them both.

Remember Me is a tale of how two families deal with the latter stages of grief and how this loss can shape the direction of their lives. It is also a convincing and realistic story about not only falling in love but the importance of finding someone who knows the real you. Remember Me is a film that tackles some serious problems but manages to do it with a style and maturity lacking in most other romantic dramas.

Robert Pattinson hands in an accomplished performance here full of substance and worth. He is most definitely a character-actor on the basis of this and he manages to handle the complexities of Tyler Hawkins perfectly. Remember Me will hopefully go some way to prove to non-believers that Pattinson is a genuine talent that will no doubt have a diverse, successful and long-lasting career in the future. He is supported beautifully by Emilie de Ravin who manages to make Ally Craig more than just a love interest; she is the catalyst for Tyler to find peace in his life. de Ravin takes a break from Lost and reminds us all that she is a capable actress with an ability to raise her game when called upon. The two share an organic chemistry that easily convinces us that Tyler and Ally are a believable couple. You want them to end up together and you want them to save each other such is the intensity of their onscreen romance. Pierce Brosnan also does well in fleshing out the supporting role of Tyler’s highly-strung but conflicted father Charles Hawkins. He manages to build a great rapport with Pattinson and their father-son exchanges are a joy to watch unfold.

The film is shot beautifully and uses parts of New York City that we rarely get to see featured on the big screen. Accompanying this is a soundtrack which perfectly complements the drama. The score is beautiful and emotionally charged and gels all of the performances together to make a film that heavily impresses from the start. It all works perfectly - the story is given time to breathe and it never feels forced or fake. The personal journeys of each of the principal characters feel genuine and help make the film stand out as a great character study against the backdrop of a beautifully lit New York. Then the last 10 minutes of the movie come along and manage to completely turn everything on its head.

I’ve honestly never been so shocked at a movies ending before, I didn’t see this particular twist coming (and I dare say no-one else will either given the sheer randomness of it all). I’m conflicted as to what the writer was thinking here. Is this a daring and surprising end to events – a harsh realisation that life is sometimes governed by events far greater than we could expect? Or is this just an ill-thought out attempt to add more (and unneeded) melodrama to the story at hand. I fear it’s the latter and Remember Me is almost hurt badly by this ending. Had the film ended 10 minutes earlier it would have been remembered as a good story, not remotely conventional but a clear study in the progression of its characters lives. Instead this ending almost undoes all of the films hard work by giving us a well-balanced and meaningful story that is then blanketed by an event so devastating that it robs what we have just seen of its relevance. This is a very bold statement from writer Will Fetters and one that I think doesn’t work. It’s just not needed and spoils the natural flow of the film which was doing just fine without this bombshell being dropped.

With delicate angst and heartfelt emotion throughout, Remember Me is a wonderful film that deserves your time and attention. Even though the ending will divide audiences, this is a film of incredible subtlety and resonance that will strike a chord with you. Robert Pattinson is on amazing form here and shows the world why he is more than just a pin-up for millions of Twilight fans. He is an adaptable and very capable talent that really gets to grips with his characters’ story and along with an amazing ensemble has created one of this year’s finest films. You really can’t afford to miss this, one way or another you will definitely remember this film for a very long time.

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