The Forgotten (2004)

Director:

Joseph Ruben

Writer (WGA):

Gerald Di Pego (written by)

Release Date:

24 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

You'll Never Forget The Ones You Love

Plot:

Told that their children never existed, a man and woman soon discover that there's a much bigger enemy at work.

Plot Keywords:

Psychiatrist | Memory | Mother Son Relationship | Alien Abduction | Memory Loss

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Julianne Moore	...	Telly Paretta
Christopher Kovaleski	...	Sam
Matthew Pleszewicz	...	Sam at 5
Anthony Edwards	...	Jim Paretta
Jessica Hecht	...	Eliot
Linus Roache	...	A Friendly Man
Gary Sinise	...	Dr. Jack Munce
Dominic West	...	Ash Correll
Katie Cooper	...	Library Clerk
Scott Nicholson	...	Cop
P.J. Morrison	...	Cop
Robert Wisdom	...	Carl Dayton
Tim Kang	...	Agent Alec Wong
Kathryn Faughnan	...	Lauren Correll
Alfre Woodard	...	Det. Anne Pope
Felix Solis	...	Brasher
Susan Misner	...	Agent Lisa Franks
Lee Tergesen	...	Al Petalis
Ken Abraham	...	Gas Station Attendant
J. Tucker Smith	...	Sheriff Howell
Ann Dowd	...	Eileen the Accountant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Zoë Raye	...	Additional Voices (voice) (unconfirmed)
Brielle Barbusca	...	Child Walking with Mother (uncredited)
Ismael Peter Casillas III	...	Little boy in park (uncredited)
Frank Stellato	...	NSA Agent (uncredited)

Directed by
Joseph Ruben

Writing credits (WGA)
Gerald Di Pego		(written by)

Produced by
Bruce Cohen	....	producer
Todd Garner	....	executive producer
Dan Jinks	....	producer
Steve Nicolaides	....	executive producer
Joe Roth	....	producer

Original Music by
James Horner

Cinematography by
Anastas N. Michos

Film Editing by
Richard Francis-Bruce

Casting by
Margery Simkin

Production Design by
Bill Groom

Art Direction by
Paul D. Kelly

Set Decoration by
Susan Bode		(as Susan Tyson)

Costume Design by
Cindy Evans

Makeup Department
Carrie Angland	....	makeup artist: Ms. Woodard
Margot Boccia	....	key makeup artist
Nathan J. Busch II	....	assistant hair stylist (as Nathan Busch)
Joseph A. Campayno	....	assistant makeup artist
Alan D'Angerio	....	hair stylist: Ms. Moore
Elaine L. Offers	....	makeup artist: Ms. Moore (as Elaine Offers)
Jerry Popolis	....	assistant hair stylist
Lyndell Quiyou	....	key hair stylist
Benjamin Robin	....	makeup artist: Mr. Sinise

Production Management
Joseph E. Iberti	....	unit production manager
Carey Len Smith	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Karen Kane	....	second second assistant director (as Karen M. Kane)
Takahide Kawakami	....	second assistant director
Terry Leonard	....	second unit director (as Terry J. Leonard)
Steve Nicolaides	....	first assistant director: second unit
Michael E. Steele	....	first assistant director (as Michael Steele)
Eric Yellin	....	second assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Pamela Bertini	....	art department assistant
David Boyd	....	scenic artist
Steve Brennan	....	props
Lauren Buckley	....	art department coordinator
Richard Bryan Douglas	....	shop foreman
Gerard J. Furey	....	set construction foreman
Emily Gaunt	....	camera scenic artist
Brent Godek	....	props
David Gulick	....	property master
Leo Holder	....	lead graphic artist
Patrick Johnson	....	construction grip
Heather Danielle Kane	....	assistant property master
Derrick Kardos	....	graphic designer: props
Miguel López-Castillo	....	set designer
Paul Mica	....	texture painter
Amy Safhay	....	key greensperson
Raymond M. Samitz	....	construction coordinator
Karl Shefelman	....	storyboard artist
Dick Tice	....	lead man
Fante Zamora	....	set dresser: additional photography Los Angeles
Sarah Dennis	....	assistant set decorator (uncredited)
Daniel Geary	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Eugene Paul Lynch	....	shop electric (uncredited)
Rosalie Russino	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Ginny Walsh	....	greens foreman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Nancy Barker	....	first assistant sound editor
Michael Barosky	....	sound mixer
Eddie Bydalek	....	sound recordist
Vincent Cirilli	....	ProTools engineer
Valerie Davidson	....	supervising foley editor
Dane A. Davis	....	sound designer
Dane A. Davis	....	supervising sound editor
William R. Dean	....	assistant sound designer (as Bill R. Dean)
Julia Evershade	....	supervising sound editor
Arnold Finkelstein	....	sound effects recordist
Stephanie Flack	....	supervising dialogue editor
Eric Lindemann	....	sound effects editor (as Eric Warren Lindemann)
Craig Mann	....	sound recordist
Matthew McKenzie	....	adr recordist
Michael Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Alyson Dee Moore	....	foley artist
Linda Murphy	....	boom operator
Myron Nettinga	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Roesch	....	foley artist
Nathan Whitehead	....	assistant sound editor
Gina Nuccio	....	adr editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Kevin Gillen	....	special effects
Steven Kirshoff	....	special effects coordinator (as Steve Kirshoff)
Fred Kraemer	....	special effects coordinator
John Stifanich	....	special effects coordinator (as John R. Stifanich)

Visual Effects by
Darryl Anka	....	miniatures maker
Chris Antonini	....	visual effects production assistant
Evan Appleby	....	software engineer
Scott Beverly	....	mechanical effects supervisor: New Deal Studios
Rob Blue	....	digital artist: SPI
Christian Boudman	....	digital compositor
Catherine Burns	....	painter
John Butiu	....	senior modeler: SPI
Danielle Conroy	....	production infrastructure
Spencer Cook	....	previsualization artist
Lisa Deaner	....	digital effects artist
Tony Diep	....	digital artist
David S. Dranitzke	....	visual effects producer
Kevin Field	....	visual effects production coordinator
Layne Friedman	....	computer graphics supervisor: SPI
Shannon Blake Gans	....	visual effects executive producer: New Deal Studios Inc.
Sergio Garcia Abad	....	senior modeler: SPI
Matthew Gratzner	....	visual effects supervisor: New Deal Studios, Inc.
David 'Rudy' Grossman	....	creature supervisor: The Orphanage
Steven Hansen	....	matchmove artist: SPI
Max Harris	....	digital compositor: SPI
Matthew Hendershot	....	CG supervisor: The Orphanage (as Matt Hendershot)
Leigh-Alexandra Jacob	....	lead painter: New Deal Studios
Yun Geuk Kang	....	senior modeler
Taryn P. Kelly	....	model/minature production coordinator: New Deal Studios
Yoon Bae Kim	....	model maker
Paul McGhee	....	digital color timer
Jessica Noll	....	senior production services technician
Robert Davis Oh	....	film recording technician
Ken Ralston	....	visual effects consultant
Jonathan Rothbart	....	visual effects supervisor: The Orphanage
Marc Sadeghi	....	executive visual effects producer: The Orphanage
David Sanger	....	producer: New Deal Studios
Scott Schneider	....	model designer
Kevin Andrew Smith	....	senior technical director
Jordan Soles	....	senior production services technician
Robert Stromberg	....	matte artist
David Taritero	....	visual effects producer
Alex Tysowsky	....	animator
Dana Vanhove	....	digital production management
Carey Villegas	....	visual effects supervisor
Barry Weiss	....	senior staff: SPI
Guy Wiedmann	....	visual effects editor
Lauralee Wiseman	....	lead production services technician: SPI
Kathleen Woolery	....	digital color timing coordinator
Mary Beth Worzella	....	visual effects producer
Mitch Zeitlin	....	video editorial coordinator: SPI
Enrico Altmann	....	model maker (uncredited)
Thomas Mathai	....	data manager (uncredited)
Luke O'Byrne	....	visual effects executive producer: The Orphanage (uncredited)
Donny Rausch	....	digital compositor: SPI (uncredited)
Rick Shick	....	digital artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Danny Aiello III	....	stunts
Bill Anagnos	....	stunts
Paul Bucossi	....	stunts
Chris Cenatiempo	....	stunts
John Cenatiempo	....	stunts
Al Cerullo	....	stunts
Victor Chan	....	stunts
John Copeman	....	stunts
Andrew Dupin	....	stunts
Peter Epstein	....	stunts
Frank Ferrara	....	stunts
Frank Ferrara Jr.	....	stunts
Ralph Ferrara	....	stunts
Andy Gill	....	stunts
Tony Guida	....	stunts
Cinda-Lin James	....	stunts (as Cinda James)
Terry Leonard	....	stunt coordinator (as Terry J. Leonard)
Gino Lucci	....	stunts
Tina Mckissick	....	stunts
Angela Meryl	....	stunts
Janet Paparazzo	....	stunts
Jodi Michelle Pynn	....	stunts
Pat Romano	....	stunts
David Shumbris	....	stunts
Doug Snively	....	stunts (as Douglas Snively)
Aaron Walters	....	stunts
Kym Washington	....	stunt double
Kym Washington	....	stunts
Chuck Zito	....	stunts
Blaise Corrigan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jeffrey Lee Gibson	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Greg Addison	....	gaffer: second unit
Will Arnot	....	Steadicam operator
Will Arnot	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Liza Bambenek	....	assistant camera
Bob Becchio	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Hans Bjerno	....	aerial director of photography
Kelly Britt	....	electrician
Garrett Brown	....	camera operator: SuperFlyCam
Kevin Chase	....	rigging coordinator
Dane Clarke	....	camera operator: Super Flycam
Alisa M. Colley	....	assistant camera
Andy Day	....	gaffer
Damian Doucette	....	aerial rigger
Chris Drechsler	....	electrician
David M. Dunlap	....	director of photography: second unit
Samuel G. Friedman	....	electrician
Jamie Gallagher	....	electrician
Stephen Girouard	....	rigging electrician
Michael N. Green	....	additional electrician
James Harker	....	electrician
William Hines	....	stage rigging gaffer
Nils Johnson	....	key video assist operator
Lee Kazista	....	assistant camera
David Leite	....	grip
Chris Lombardozzi	....	lighting technician
Peter Masterson	....	camera operator
Daniel Moder	....	camera operator
Heather Norton	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
George Patsos	....	key grip
Peter Ramos	....	first assistant camera
Lance Rieck	....	remote camera technician
Josh Roth	....	grip
Michael Rudolph	....	electrician
Lowell Schulman	....	key dimmer board operator
Susan Starr	....	camera operator: second unit
Barry Wetcher	....	still photographer
Ernest Yurich	....	grip (uncredited)

Animation Department
Kevin Freeman	....	animator

Casting Department
Susan Paley Abramson	....	casting assistant
Karen E. Etcoff	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Natalie Arango	....	wardrobe assistant
Susan Bakula	....	costume shop supervisor
Joanna Brett	....	assistant costume designer
Leah Deveau	....	costume production assistant
Marta Font	....	set costumer
Barbara Hause	....	wardrobe supervisor
John Kouromihelakis	....	wardrobe assistant
Debbie Lucas	....	seamstress
Sukari McGill	....	set costumer
Susan J. Wright	....	costumer: Julianne Moore

Editorial Department
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Steve Calalang	....	dailies colorist
James Cohen	....	assistant film editor
Michael Eaves	....	digital color timer
David L. Feinberg	....	editorial assistant
Nathan R. Fitzgerald	....	digital intermediate editor
Toby Francis-Bruce	....	assistant editor
Jennifer Mangan	....	first assistant editor (as Jennifer Spenelli)
Chris Regan	....	color timer

Music Department
Ramiro Belgardt	....	music editor
Jim Henrikson	....	supervising music editor
James Horner	....	orchestrator
Randy Kerber	....	orchestrator
Joe E. Rand	....	music editor
Justin Reeve	....	music coordinator
Simon Rhodes	....	music scoring mixer
Lee Scott	....	music editor: temp
Sylvia Wells	....	music scoring supervisor
John Finklea	....	music editor: temp music (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Bobby Marsh	....	driver

Other crew
Heath Banks	....	production coordinator: additional photography
Brian K. Barnes	....	location coordinator
Kathleen Beall	....	unit location assistant
Danielle Blumstein	....	production secretary
Max Brallier	....	production assistant
Ciara Bresnihan	....	production assistant
Jeff Caron	....	location assistant
Jeff Chena	....	stand-in: Mr. West
Daniel B. Cone	....	production assistant
Kyle Cooper	....	title designer: main titles
Julie Cummings	....	production assistant
Philip DeRise	....	assistant: Mr. Jinks and Mr. Cohen
Gabriel Diaz	....	production assistant
Nat Dinga	....	assistant: Mr. Ruben
Kimberly Feinman	....	location scout
Andrew Fiero	....	production assistant
Greg Gilman	....	production assistant
Ryan Kampe	....	production assistant
Matthew Kania	....	location assistant
Randy Kerber	....	synthesizer programmer
Perry M. Kimura	....	digital film scanning and recording
James D. Lee	....	location manager: second unit
Thomas K. Lee	....	production assistant
Kendra Levenberg	....	key craft service
Rafael Lima	....	assistant: Mr. Ruben
Tali Lipa	....	production accountant
Josh Liveright	....	payroll accountant
Janet Lonsdale	....	production accountant: re-shoots
Lori A. Lopes	....	construction accountant
Randy Manion	....	assistant location manager
Dan McCann	....	assistant: Ms. Moore
David M. McGuire	....	location assistant
Bruno Michels	....	production assistant: re-shoots
Tenita Murray	....	second assistant accountant
Jean Nakahara	....	assistant production coordinator: re-shoots
Leda Nornang	....	assistant production coordinator
Kathy Orloff	....	unit publicist
Greg Outcalt	....	production coordinator: re-shoots
Guy Penini	....	accounting clerk
Wayne Petrucelli	....	security
Lyn Pinezich	....	location manager
Pam Prichard	....	stand-in: Julianne Moore
Joan Puma	....	script supervisor: second unit
Nancyana Racker	....	production assistant
Aaron Resch	....	production assistant
Michael K. Reynolds	....	chef
Ryan Schaetzle	....	location scout
Greg Schneider	....	effects production assistant
Windi See	....	accounting assistant
Thomas Sellitti Jr.	....	assistant: Mr. Nicolaides
Maurice Sessoms	....	production assistant: re-shoots
Kevin Smets	....	effects production assistant
Julie Solomon	....	location scout
Karen Koula Sossiadis	....	production coordinator
Marce Sterner	....	location scout
Bree Tichy	....	assistant: Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen
Ian Underwood	....	synthesizer programmer
Tim Wilson	....	stand-in: Linus Roache, re-shoots
Andrew R. Gardiner	....	key assistant location manager: additonal photography (uncredited)
Charles Heaphy	....	production financing (uncredited)
Warner Loughlin	....	acting coach (uncredited)
Caitlin McGinty	....	additional production secretary (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Revolution Studios
• Jinks/Cohen Company
• Visual Arts Entertainment

Distributors

• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) (2004) (worldwide) (all media)
• Columbia Pictures (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (2004) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Film Distributors (2004) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Film (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de España (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Italia (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• FS Film Oy (2004) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Falcon (2004) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Gaumont/Columbia TriStar Films (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2005) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• FS Film Oy (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Nelonen (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• RTL Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing) (RTL5)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (Brazil) (all media)

Special Effects

• Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) (special visual effects and animation)
• New Deal Studios (visual effects photography and miniatures)
• Digital Backlot (additional visual effects services)
• Orphanage, The (additional visual effects elements)
• Digital Backlot (additional visual effects)
• New Deal Studios (miniatures)
• New Deal Studios (visual effects photography)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• Danetracks  sound design & editorial
• EFilm  digital intermediate
• Movie Movers  star trailers
• Movie Movers  transportation
• Orbit Digital  AVID system
• Orbit Digital  AVID technical support
• Prologue Films  main titles
• Todd-AO Scoring Stage  score recording
• Todd-AO Studios (West)  sound re-recording
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack published by
• Warner Bros. Studios  foley recorded at

Also Known As:

Stranger (Philippines: English title) (review title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, some violence and brief language.

Runtime:

91 min | USA:94 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38908) | Malaysia:U | Germany:12 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-15 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Revolution Studios

Trivia:

After Julianne Moore runs through a grocery store and an alley, she stops in front of white graffiti on a wall. It's the logo of Revolution Studios, which produced the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ash and Telly enter the Long Island house it is daylight, but as they go through the house it is night (Ash is in the dining room with a lantern and there is complete blackness in the windows).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dr. Jack Munce: How much time did you spend at the dresser compared to last week?
Telly Paretta: Less.
Dr. Jack Munce: How much less?
Telly Paretta: I don't know exactly.
Dr. Jack Munce: You wanna make a guess, roughly, for the week?
Telly Paretta: Oh, not even an hour a day.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Remembering 'The Forgotten' (2005) (V)

Finally, a thriller in 2004 that delivers

Now THIS is what I want from a thriller. I had high hopes for this movie, and for the most part it delivers. The story grabs you from the start, and what I like is that nothing is revealed too soon. The movie pulls you along and keeps things nice and subtle until BAM it hits you with an uppercut. The pace smooths out and then WHAM, a right hook to the jaw. Pretty much the same method my mom used to employ to keep me on my toes.

The big mystery surrounds Telly's son. She clearly remembers him, and she has a difficult time dealing with his apparent death. About a year ago, he boarded a plane that was bound for camp, but the plane was never heard from again. Soon, all evidence of her son's existence begins to disappear. His image has vanished from a picture, photo albums are now empty, and a home video shows nothing but static.

Is somebody trying to mess with Telly's memory? Is her husband (Edwards) in on it? What is her shrink's involvement? Is she crazy, or is it everybody else around her who's lost it? Has Anthony Edwards started to regret leaving ER yet? Or am I confusing him with Julianna Margulies?

When Telly meets up with Ash Correll (West), she realizes that he's forgotten about his daughter, who was also on the plane with her son. It's at this point she's convinced that she isn't crazy, so she seeks to find out exactly what is going on. I love how the characters don't know who they can trust, and neither does the audience. Even characters who are attempting to help must be looked at with suspicion. You are to question everybody at all times!

The acting is very solid. You won't find my name in any Julianne Moore fan clubs (although I was once a member of the Bon Jovi Secret Society), but I have to admit she does a very good job here. And I'd never seen Dominic West before (because I typically avoid snoozers such as Mona Lisa Smile like Richard Simmons avoids women), but I thought he was great. Both characters react in situations exactly like you want them to. They're two distraught parents trying to find out what happened to their children, and they're willing to do what it takes. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that.

I definitely recommend you see this at the theater because there are two jump scenes that quite simply have to be seen on the big screen and heard with the best sound system possible. I'm talking two of the better jump scenes I've seen in a while. Stephanie doesn't jump much (even at times when I'm hoppin' like a giddy school girl), but she was even jolted out of her seat. Well, she didn't literally go flying out of her seat like a circus freak, but you know what I mean. One of the scenes caused her to jump and clench my arm. Poor thing hurt her hand on my bicep though.

Comparisons to The X-Files and The Twilight Zone are accurate, but don't listen to the movie snobs claiming it feels like a "mediocre" episode of one of the two. Keep in mind, this isn't the kind of thriller that will have you trying to figure out the plot for days afterward. It's not gonna make you think like Memento, and it's not gonna shock you or disturb you like The Butterfly Effect. It's simply gonna keep you guessing and entertained.

THE GIST

The Forgotten is a solid thriller that delivers a good mystery and some of the best jump scenes I've seen in a while. If you wanna cause yourself heartache and nitpick over some minor plot holes, then go ahead and be a little curmudgeon. But what's the point? Allow yourself to be entertained for an hour and a half. It won't hurt. This is a very good date movie, but guys, do a few reps beforehand because your gal might be grabbing your arm quite a bit, and it's best if that's not an embarrassing situation for you.