Film on Friday #12 - Forgetting the Girl

I'm a fan of Film Movement and their award winning films.  Film Movement has launched a new brand, Ram Releasing, that will be showcasing films of a different genre - thrillers, suspense, even horror films. And that's right up my alley - I love scary films. One of their first releases is Forgetting the Girl from director Nate Taylor.

The film opens with Kevin Wolfe filming a 'if you see this...' talk. Kevin is a photographer specializing in head shots. He asks out every woman whose portrait he takes. And most say no. The few that do say yes rarely say yes a second time. And it those women that Kevin wants to forget. To forget he engages in activities such as a shopping spree or joining the gym. The one person he can't remember and doesn't want to forget is his sister, who drowned when they were both children.

Spoilers below.

I thought Christopher Denham did a good job in the role of Kevin. He presents as an affable young man with a ready smile for those whose attention he wants. But there's something off about him. His sense of desperation and obsessiveness isn't far beneath the surface. And something else is behind that glib exterior as well. Lindsay Beamish is Jamie, his suicidal make-up artist, who is infatuated with Kevin. She too turned in a good performance. There are a few other characters as well. Kevin's grandmother Ruby is there to act a historical record of Kevin's past. Jamie's sponsor seemed awkward and seemed to only be there to underscore Jamie's fragile state. (The camping trip was ridiculous) And the creepy, porn watching landlord? A very obvious red herring. Although I must say, his brief role was frightening - especially in the elevator with one of Kevin's clients.

The exploration of Kevin's 'forgetting' would have been suitably creepy if it only applied to his adult life. And this would have sent the film in the direction that the trailer seemed to promise. I found the trailer misleading - the darkest bits of the film are showcased and seem to promise a different film than was delivered. Kevin's attempts to remember his sister just grew tiresome after a few times.

But things speed up as both Kevin and Jamie start to lose control and things hurtle towards an inevitable, but sadly surprising ending. Forgetting the Girl was just okay for this viewer. However, the two trailers included for coming releases, App and Hide and Seek do have me intrigued.