Product: Forgotten [VHS] (2002)
Rating: 5.0
Unusual, unforgettable mystery
This is an unusual murder mystery in the sense that it focuses on 2 eerily similar murders 20 years apart and emphasizes the families involved and how these crimes affected them. Most murder mysteries portray the detectives and the resulting quest to find the killer, with little attention given to the victims' families and friends and how the murder affects them. That is what makes this story different--yes, you do see the police questioning the suspects, but the sense is more peripherial than usual. What is depicted is the sadness of the parents who learn that their child has been murdered, how they cope with it, and how it changes the family and the relationship between the husband and wife, and the relationship between the parents and (surviving) children.There are several twists and turns in the plot. Many of the characters in this drama are not what nor who they appear to be at first. This only adds to the overall uneasiness of the story. Is Ben Turner really who he says he is? Is Rachel Munro simply a grieving mother, unable to move on with her life after her daughter was killed 20 years ago, or is she more unstable--unable to accept that perhaps Ben did not murder her child. Her anger and horror when she learns how the police "helped" convict Ben turns to anguish--not only has she lost 20 years of her life hating the wrong person, but the real killer is still free.There is also an interesting unlying theme of redemption and rehabilitation running throughout the story. If Ben did kill Rachel's child, he certainly does not appear to be the same person that he was 20 years ago. He now has a wife, a daughter, and a child on the way of his own. He and his wife seem to have a good marriage. It does not seem likely that he killed the little girl in his daughter's class. Yet, once his friends and neighbors learn that he is a suspect (and has been convicted of a similar crime in the past), those friendships are altered. The trust is no longer there. Rachel's role in this is also interesting--is she so set upon revenge for her daughter's death that she no longer cares whether she is persecuting the wrong person? Or is she just unstable?The story does not neatly tie up loose ends. The revelation of the killers of both girls leaves more questions about the characters and the family relationships. You will not forget this mystery. Highly recommended.