Forgetting the Girl

Moviecut—Forgetting the Girl

Forgetting the Girl is an indie horror movie that never quit gets off the ground. Honestly, this isn't usually my type of film to begin with, but there are some horror movies I quite enjoy if the story and/ or characters are interesting. But this film didn't really have either. The only reason I watched this movie was because I saw Anna Camp was in it and I love her. However, despite being on the cover and sides of the DVD box, Anna Camp is only in the movie for the first 19 minutes, and then she is never in it again. Instead, the film follows Kevin Wolfe, an awkward photographer who has problems with the ladies. Every time he gets rejected, he has to "forget the Girl," and the audience has to wonder if he has killed them or not as they are never seen again. It quickly becomes clear that he is, in fact, the creepy killer he seems. Now I can take shows with the dark subject matter. I love the Walking Dead, and I thought X 2022 was brilliant. But this movie crosses a line as Kevin convinces the weird Girl that is in love with him to kill herself and take the blame for his murders. Now, while that may sound interesting, its execution just made me feel sick and left me with a weird empty feeling. This is partially due to the fact that I didn't like any of the characters except for Anna Camp's character. I wouldn't recommend this one. But I will give it two stars Because Anna Camp looked terrific and acted great in the three scenes she is in.

I don't see the point. How is this entertaining? How did anyone manage to convince anyone else, let alone a whole movie crew to make this? How did those aspiring actors and actress decide this was a good career move? Maybe I missed the point. Maybe I'm just happy living my life not wanting to understand what it's like to be sick in the head. But I definitely wish I hadn't wasted those two hours of my life. This movie I definitely want to forget.

I don't know if I am just expecting more, but this movie just doesn't quite do it. The director really does a great job of getting the reaction shots down, you can see in the faces of all of the cast exactly what the story needs so on that alone this is a very well made film. It just looks so cheap, and webisode like though, and the lead just isn't quite convincing, but I guess the industry sets it's own scale. I did not Enjoy what was delivered to me in the end, and I can not recommend this movie, but if you like artsy pretentious movies then you may have found your new favorite. Really slow, and lost to put is in a nut shell. If you are looking for a flashy puffy happy movie, then this is not it.

Forgetting the Girl introduces us to Kevin Wolfe (Christopher Denham), a soft spoken photographer consumed by his need to try to reconcile the traumatic childhood memory of his sisters accidental death. He works in a rented studio space with a chatty and emotionally fragile makeup assistant, Jamie (Lindsay Beamish). Their job brings upon encounters with a flurry of wannabe actresses and models. They fleetingly pass, both into and out of Kevin's life. Kevin addresses the camera directly, with neurotic detail to explain his sometimes unusual, borderline obsessive way with the ladies. We follow Kevin's visits to his last living relative, his grandmother (Phyllis Somerville), his awkward but well-meaning exchanges with potential clients/ potential subjects of a mild infatuation (one of which is Adrienne, played by Anna Camp). He scared her off with his tenacious approach to the post-hookup. He finally catches a break when viable love interest, Beth (Elizabeth Rice) meets him outside a theater and has an actual interest in getting to know him. From this point forward, it becomes apparent that one of these characters are not to be trusted. The GOOD The gore level is set to a minimum. It achieves the same intended result without the use of gratuitous violence. The end. Many viewers will probably predict what will happen, the first 10 minutes in. Well thought out, nonetheless. THE BAD The proclamation power-point presentation. The three P's, if you will. Kevin speaking directly into the camera is reminiscent of a mediocre high-school drama monologue (intentional?). Mawkish is the only way to describe the script. Especially when Jamie repeats the whole "I want to be beautiful for you, Kevin" bit. Involuntary eye-roll. This is Nate Taylor's directorial debut . It's well directed with an intriguing set of characters. Impressive considering it's an independent film with a low estimated budget of only 600K. 6/10

As I write this there are 10 reviews. Typically when the count is this low the positive reviews are shills from the cast or production staff trying to drive traffic to the theaters or rental markets. Assume this now, this movie is just terrible. Bone achingly slow and contrived, I was forced by an uncontrollable urge in my lizard brain to fast forward to the end to ease the boredom. Ignore any review that promises "plot twists." There is one. One twist and it has no relevance to the story other than to make it more pathetic. I knew exactly what was going to happen. When there are dozens or hundreds of reviews and the comments vary widely it simply means some got the premise and others it was lost on. I cannot see anyone who is not on Thorozine or other profound anti-psychotics enjoying this, just a bad, slow, predictable essay on pathetic psychosis. Spend the two hours you would have on this sleeping,you will be far more entertained. Better yet, take your dog to the park! Cheers!

This must see movie sneaks up on you and challenges the definition of a "genre." Romance? Drama? Horror? Better...all of the above. It's visceral hard hitting nature will sneak up on you on different levels. Christopher Denham plays a layered character with a haunting past that has everything to do with his dealings in the present. Is he the hero or the villain of the piece? Stalker or lonely-heart shlub? That depend on the individual viewer. Each of the female characters builds upon his complex and ever-troubling dealings with the fair sex. This is one of those rare treat movies that asks all the questions with open-ended, yet resolute, answers. It's rare to find a movie like this that allows the audience to discuss and debate the film and what it really means. A great effort from first time director, Nate Taylor, and writer Peter Moore Smith.

"Forgetting the Girl" is one of those movies that sticks with you long after the credits roll. Not an easy feat, but one that I consider essential for a film in order to remember it, discuss it to death, and even dream about it. Yes, I dreamt about this movie long after I saw it, the visceral images and suspenseful storyline lingering in my mind many a night. Kudos to director Nate Taylor and writer Peter Moore Smith for fashioning a totally original story in this day and age of cookie-cutter flicks. The film starts out as a slightly rom-com look at the life of a New York-based headshot photographer named Kevin (played by the eerie Christopher Denham in a remarkable tour-de-force). Always searching for the perfect girl, perhaps one to take the place of his sister, Kevin asks every photography subject out on a date to mostly awkward results. His lovelorn assistant Jamie, a tough-looking goth girl with her own serious issues portrayed by the extraordinary Lindsay Beamish with a perpetual wounded look in her eyes, will do anything to make Kevin her own, even though she doesn't seem to exist in his eyes. All that changes when one of Kevin's dates goes missing. What follows is a labyrinth of twists and turns that slowly turn into something more powerful and psychologically disturbing than one would expect. In fact, it left me breathless. To give any more plot points away would be a crime, but you can call me guilty of loving this movie. "Forgetting the Girl" is one of those singular movies that challenges the viewer to give up all expectations of the norm, forcing one to dive headfirst into the mind of a very complex character. I, for one, was swept away.

This film takes the viewer on a journey through the psyche of a bewildered man in his youth, who's inherent desire, not unlike those which we all experience, for human compassion, emotional connection, and acceptance of loss and denial, begin to drastically affect not only his life, but the lives of the people in which he befriends and confides in. Forgetting the Girl, seems to float within a realm of "non-genre", although that is not to say that the narrative isn't being represented in such a way that the viewer cannot discern the stories purpose, but that it plays between the boundary lines of a pseudo romance, drama, thriller and horror at the same time and achieves this with ease and an apparent show of skill and cinematic knowledge. This film is filled with moments that will draw you in, grab your attention, and then within the span of a few frames, completely throw that all of out the window, leave you with your hands over your head, eyes glued to the screen ,cringing, but all the while wanting to do it all over again. The beauty of a film like this is that it allows the audience to ask questions not only of themselves but the characters and the story as well as their expectations and interpretations of how things will play out, and it has done so with purpose. Highly recommended. Check it out and enjoy.

Forgetting the Girl