3 1/2 stars: Never forget, Never let go, never stop living

Have you ever lost someone you love? Have you ever felt like loosing that loved one was so hard you would never get over it and you just spent the rest of your days mopping, mourning that said loved one feeling like no one in the world understands you. No one understands what you are going through the kind of pain your feeling for the loss of someone you care for with all your heart and soul. No one understands this better than young Tyler Hawkins who is going through a long-term bout of depression after the loss of a loved one he mopes and sulks around New York like no one in the world care about him. Harboring a deep hatred for his cold and workaholic father who he blames for all the troubles in his life Tyler is about  to have his life altered not by self reflection and self  discovery but by the one thing  he never thought would happen to him, love he finds love  with a young girl who is living with he same pain as he is  with the same bottled up anger and sadness he is going through  and together learn to overcome there grief and find happiness and solace in each other and slowly learn to move on from there personal woes.  Allen Coulter’s “Remember Me" is a dark and searing look into the lives of two families as they deal with the loss of loved ones and a look into the lives of two young people who find love  amidst  each others pain and sorrows. 

When I heard that Robert Pattinson (one of my least favorite actors) was going to loss the fangs and the pale skin to play a regular human being in a movie that has actually moral meaning and a story not half-baked and dull to unlawful extremes I nearly fell out of my chair it was just too unbelievable, too unfathomable for me too comprehend Robert Pattinson is not the type you would exactly associate with a movie with this kind of deep subject matter the films story revolves around death, loss, suffering and violence all of which are very heavy themes and echo  sadly throughout the film.  I had no interest in seeing this even if it did have some of my favorite actors in it namely Chris Cooper and Pierce Brosnan (both of which are phenomenal in this film) it had almost been two maybe three months into this film release that I started to become interested in it. Especially after a news article surfaced about the film talking about the films twist ending my interest in this film soared. You see controversy surrounding a film always for some reason or another intrigues me. Allen Coulter's "Remember Me” is not your typical romantic drama  it does not have a straight forward story like  most  as in most romantic dramas you are able to tell how it is going to end. Which takes the fun out of watching the film  however, that is not the case with "Remember Me" you don't  know how it will end you don't know what will happen to the two young lovers  will they live   or will they die? Will someone else die in there place? You keep asking yourself theses questions in   the hopes that you may be able to discern how this film will end   and when the end comes, you end up with your jaw going through the floor. The ending is the most shocking part of this film and possibly the most heartbreaking thing about this film it just leaves you so distraught and in a complete state of sadness; you do not know what to think about this film it just leaves you in a complete state of shock. This is the kind of film that most will enjoy some will find it either overly offensive or extremely sad how you choose to view it is your own opinion. "Remember Me" is a well-made movie with deep meaning, real emotions not cheap Hollywood emotions, but real true human feelings. I felt for the characters  I felt like  I got o know them as the film moved along I felt like they were people I had know for not too long,  long enough for me to be able to care for them and feel there pain. This film does not cheat you it may at sometimes feel that way nevertheless, it delivers what promises or so it seems. 

"Remember Me" is a very touching and at sometimes very heartbreaking look into the subject of life, death, love, betrayal and hardship. It is not a cheap movie it does not pretend to be something that it’s not  it does not try to sugar coat real life to make it look easy simple and death free as most romantic dramas do. They usually portray the difficulties of the two lovers never the people around them. Some romantic drams are based just around two people and the rest of the people in there lives  there mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles aunts etc. are  just side characters or dead to add a certain flare to the film to keep the drama flowing strong. Most of the time it works and other times it just feels stale and just thrown in there for good dramatic effect. That however, is not the case with "Remember Me"  it is a real film not a slick exploitation of one it does not sugar coat life or use it as a gimmick for the romance   it fleshes out the deepest and darkest parts of life, it puts them to use  like more films of this caliber should. "Remember Me" is a truly enjoyable film that  that brings to life the dark side of life and the joys of romance  this is the rare film  that works on all levels.

I really do not care much for Robert Pattinson he is one of the most over hyped actors of this generation thanks to no less than the Twilight films from which he skyrocketed to fame faster than Tom Cruise. Which I thought was impossible until I saw the amount of  crazed fans screaming his name and the amount of fan sites  he even has  a documentary about his popularity it is unbelievable. I never thought that Pattinson would go anywhere beyond the twilight films I figured he would be like the kids from Harry Pothead oh, sorry I meant Harry Potter. However, Pattinson has not found much success outside of the "Twilight" series until now. Pattinson performance in "Remember Me" is not half-baked or lagging although in some scenes, he tends to drop off into the whole Edward Cullen hoarse whisperer thing in some scenes. His performance is very subdued yet intense, succeeds in fulfilling his duty to this films deep story, and comes out on the other side as a very competent and convincing dramatic actor. I liked Pattinson in the role   I felt for his character I sympathized with his character and in a film that is one of the major parts in filmmaking if you do not care about the characters or if in some cases despises them then the film, itself has failed miserable here all the characters have hearts and souls. They cry they feel and most if not all of them are in pain Pattinson has the task of carrying the most baggage and he effectively gives a performance that is worthy of being called good. The rest of the cast including Emilie De Ravin, Lena Olin, Tate Ellington, Gregory Jbara, Ruby Jerins, and Pierce Brosnan with Chris Cooper all deliver fine supporting performance in this heartbreaking drama that proves to be much more than you could ever expect.

Many may call this film overwrought, overly offensive, half baked and dull, I call it a fine piece of filmmaking  its a movie that no  matter how you view it still manages to entertain in some way. "Remember Me" is not a perfect movie it ha sits flaws and parts where it lags  a little and the drama  shifts to over the top melodrama but the movie never strays from its dark and lurid tone  of loss and despair. What I admire most about this film is what I think most will as well  it is  a very touching romantic drama as well as a look into the trials and tribulations   of   one man  trying to find his place in this sometimes bleak and lonely world. In addition, ends up finding it in the loving arms of a young woman who is just as emotionally scarred as he is. For what it is it is this film is very well done and well played out  it leaves you thinking of how short life can be sometimes  of how in the blink of an eye you can lose someone so dear and in some rare instances find someone new to love.