Movie Review: 'Remember Me', a haunting story of love and tragedy...

The first reaction by some has been said that the approach to telling this story of two lonely and estranged young people who each are dealing with tragedy in their family’s, is manipulating, especially referring to the end scene.

What I learned early on in film school and 22 years of film projects is that, ‘manipulation and stimulation’ of a viewer’s emotions, is the primary objective of a filmmaker, as in any audio (songs, music, books on-tape, etc) or visual (paintings, film, photographic mediums, etc) art-form.

Depending on one’s threshold for the line of separation between ‘manipulation’ and what I have coined as ‘Heavy handedness’, and if your threshold is very high, as is mine, “Remember Me” is a very emotionally stimulating story, as it exposes those suppressed feelings we have, in the back of our consciousness…

In the romantic drama “Remember Me”, set in the ‘summer of 2001’. Robert Pattinson (from the “Twilight” movies) stars as Tyler, an ‘anti-establishment’ young college student in New York City. His relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan), ever since the tragic lost of a brother/son, is strained to the point of almost disassociation.

Tyler didn't think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until he meet’s Ally (Emilie de Ravin) through an unusual twist of fate and a chance connection, who lives each day to the fullest since witnessing her mother's murder. Love was the last thing on his mind, but as her spirit unexpectedly heals and inspires him, he begins to fall for her. As their feelings for each other develop into love, he begins to find happiness and solidifies meaning in his life.

Soon, hidden secrets are revealed, tragedy lingers in the air, the power of love, the strength of family, and the importance of living passionately and treasuring every day of one's life. By the fall of 2001, the primary characters as well as director Allen Coulter, have stirred our emotional commitment, that leaves us taking a deep breath during the final sequence…

Starring Caitlyn Rund, Moisés Acevedo, Noel Rodriguez, Kevin P. McCarthy, Chris Cooper, Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Athena Currey, Lena Olin, Gregory Jbara, Ruby Jerins, and Pierce Brosnan.

Directed by Allen Coulter. Written by Will Fetters. Summit Entertainment release. Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content, language and smoking. Runtime: 128 minutes.

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