Remember (Atom Egoyan, 2015): Canada | Germany

Reviewed by Ashley Wierl. Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2016.

Directed by Atom Egoyan, “Remember” is a film about an individual’s aftermath of the holocaust, 70 years later. This drama thriller staring Christopher Plummer is sure to woe audiences. After a bit of a slow start, the film explores deep into the past, and one’s own psyche. “Remember” has already won two awards and been nominated for twelve.

“Remember” follows an old man (Christopher Plummer) with dementia on a journey to find a man from Auschwitz who murdered his family and the family of a friend from the nursing home. He takes off on this trip after the death of his wife, with a letter full of instructions from his friend on how to find the Nazi who assumed the identity of a man he murdered at Auschwitz. He had made a promise to kill him once he found him for vengeance. His dementia proves to be a huge obstical while trying push through his journey, relying heavily on the letter his friend has wrote for him. His trip is filled with confusion, emotional trauma, and jaw dropping revelations.

The set designs of the film give it an “old time-y” sort of feel, with certain wall paper and antique like decor. The film has fairly slow cuts, which give the audience time absorb all that is put into the scene to see.

This movie with its historical context, emotional involvement, and intriguing narrative structure makes it a film I would definitely watch again. Anyone who enjoys dramas or thrillers are sure to enjoy this movie, especially if one has an interest in holocaust survivor stories.