Atom Egoyan’s “Remember” is frustrating, not because it’s
necessarily bad but because it wastes an intriguing premise and a great
performance by Christopher Plummer and settles for mediocrity. What could have
been a superb drama/mystery about denial, repression and confronting the sins
of one’s past is ultimately an instantly forgettable thriller with a twist
ending.
Plummer plays Zev Guttman, an elderly former Auschwitz
prisoner with Dementia. A few weeks after the death of his wife, Guttman breaks
out of his nursing home and with the help of another former Auschwitz prisoner
Max Rosenbaum (Martin Landau), who also lives at the rest home, he searches for
the Nazi responsible for the death of his family. “Remember” is essentially a
revenge/mystery picture--Guttman buys a handgun and travels to Cleveland, Canada
and Boise. Egoyan handles the film with restraint and a deliberate pace and it
isn’t dominated by excessive action or violence. Egoyan maintains a consistent
atmosphere of suspense.
Is it somewhat ridiculous that an old man with Dementia
could escape from his nursing home, visit multiple states, cross the Canadian
boarder, threaten two innocent old men and draw next to no outside attention?
Absolutely. In fact, Guttman’s son Charles (Henry Czerny) is somehow unable to get
any leads on him. Yet, the narrative remains compelling enough to distract us
from these logistical issues.
This may be the first revenge thriller where the protagonist
is frail and suffering from Dementia. He forgets who he is and where he is, so
often that you wonder if this guy even has the desire for this kind of
vigilantism in the first place. Adding more intrigue is Rosenbaum who’s
orchestrating this whole trip. He makes travel accommodations for Guttman,
provides him the names and addresses of the potential Nazis, and a lengthy
handwritten letter so Guttman can remember who he is and what his mission is.
Rosenbaum is a manipulator and since we don’t know all the details of what went
on all those years ago, it’s unclear as to whether Rosenbaum has any sinister/
mysterious motives or if he simply wants to help him. He spends practically all
of his time confined in his room, looking through old historical documents and
photos and frequently talks to Guttman on the phone. Hey, Charles…maybe go and
question this guy?
Plummer is in top form. Even at eighty-six the legendary
actor shows no signs of quitting--giving a fully engaging and enveloping
performance. Guttman may be old and frail but he’s persistent, never letting
his aging body keep him from going on his journey. I was getting tired and
older just watching him.
But then, that twist ending happens and the movie jumps off
a cliff. There’s nothing wrong with the content of the twist, which involves a
major revelation about Guttman’s past (one he had forgotten). It’s a
substantial, earth shattering revelation. It just shouldn’t have been contained
in a twist ending. The revelation should have come sooner and the rest of the
movie should have been about the aftermath-- how it impacts Guttman and the
other characters. Instead, Egoyan treats it like the big twist at the end of a
bad horror movie, saying “gotcha!” to the audience and abruptly ending the
movie. When the end credits rolled I thought: “OK, and then what?” By not exploring
revelation and the major dilemma it creates for Guttman in greater depth,
Egoyan trivializes it and the whole movie, leaving the audience unsatisfied.
Furthermore, the supporting characters are frustratingly
underdeveloped. As it turns out, Rosenbaum plays a rather substantial role in
the final twist (hence his mysteriousness) but that doesn’t all of a sudden
make his character three-dimensional. Meanwhile, Charles is basically
superfluous; he’s given hardly any substance and we don’t get a sense of his
relationship with Guttman. How does he feel about the revelation? How does he
feel about his father’s past? We’ll never know. Both he and Rosenbaum are given
scarce screen time.
In the end, “Remember” isn’t a bad movie; it’s just
disappointing and leaves a lot to be desired. Christopher Plummer (and Landau)
deserve better.
C+
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