Remember Me

It has always been easy to feel faceless in New York City and to question one’s place in the bigger picture. Allen Coulter’s Remember Me explores this existential dilemma but unfairly exploits people’s vulnerability.

Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson) struggles with the recent suicide of his older brother Michael, which he blames solely on his estranged father (Pierce Brosnan). Tyler’s personal life becomes increasingly complicated when he falls for Ally (Emilie de Ravin), the seductively beautiful daughter of a widowed policeman (Chris Cooper) who seeks revenge for his wife’s murder through his detective work. As the boyfriend and father fight for Ally’s affection, the situation becomes exacerbated by an unpleasant episode between the two. The young couple’s distraught if convenient relationship is—ironically—forgettable amidst the more complex but unfinished side storylines.

Behind Pattinson’s brooding exterior are the qualities of a versatile actor, but he has resigned himself to the now stale image of deprived youth. A cliche as the rebellious privileged son, he fails to realize the story’s subtler moments, instead squandering them with his trademark far-off stare. Though Ravin lends endearing vulnerability to Ally, she is unable to fully develop her psychologically torn character. Tyler’s relationships with his defenseless younger sister (a heart-wrenching Ruby Jerins) and neglectful father, compellingly personalized by Brosnan, are what solicit genuine interest. Unfortunately, first-time screenwriter Will Fetters forgets to infuse this level of depth into his main characters. 

I was wholly unprepared for the ending, an inconclusive final chapter that elicits the rawest of your emotions. A devastating reality for us all, it is for better or for worse one that you will remember.