Oscars and Remember Me

Jessegirl, a frequent commenter on this site has written this article about the Remember Me phenomenon, the evolution of the reactions and the "masterpiece" that is Remember Me. This article is partially derived from comments that Jessegirl has made on other sites since the release of the film in March.

Oscar and “Remember Me”: Modern Masterpiece
-by ‘jessegirl’ May 20, 2010



THE PHENOMENON:
The Downside-
With notable exceptions this film has been panned by critics, most of whom, when they weren’t arrogant, were ignorant. In a misguided attempt at political correctness they trashed the shocking ending of the film to pre-empt predicted public outrage. That is a kind interpretation of their motives. There was also much envy and maliciousness, an attempt to diss ‘vampire boy’ Robert Pattinson for daring to be a teen heart throb and not, in their opinion, rising in the ranks slowly enough, like a good boy.

Then even Pattinson’s teen girl fanbase boycotted the film, for the immature reason that the vampire Edward was ‘cheating’ on Bella. Which brings us to the fact that the studio poorly marketed the movie as a romantic drama. This kept the males away too.
Therefore the film, by blockbuster standards, did poorly at the box office. Yet this small indie flick, produced for a mere $16M, has now made $55M world-wide, which is actually a very respectable figure. Compare it with the Academy Award Winner, Hurt Locker, which had comparable production budget and grossed approx. $45M globally. [Box Office Mojo]

However, the story of its reception by actual viewers is very different. Indeed, puzzled by the poor reviews, audiences have been jumping to the film’s defence, sometimes passionately.


The Upside-
Comments on websites and blogs have been amazingly positive. And that ending elicited mostly more positive comments. From general good ‘reviews’ from the viewing public, the comments ventured into more intense territory. People started sharing personal responses to the film and reactions of their families and friends; these were as stunning as the film’s ending.

People of both sexes, of all ages, from 14 to 94, reacted similarly. It is hard to encapsulate the sheer passion which they describe. Some quotes from the comments might give an idea but they should be multiplied one hundred fold, because the impact of reading them together is astounding:
-rarely does a film move me emotionally as this one did;
-it’s how the film touches my heart that sets it apart
-I cried like a baby
-haven’t seen a movie this honest in a long time
-it profoundly moved me; -never been moved so much when watching a movie
-they don’t make them like this anymore
-it made me feel, unlike most movies
-it’s a sign of a good movie when you genuinely care about the characters
-a deep ache in my heart.
You get the picture. And this is the tip of the iceberg.

Then the comments changed. People started saying things about the need for repeat viewings, and here too, the number of people who voiced this was substantial; it was like a refrain.
-I rarely feel compelled to see a movie twice but this one, yes
-It stayed with me; I can’t get it out of my head and it’s been a week; I can’t forget it.

Next, people started sharing very personal stories, either from their own lives, or told how they and their friends felt the need to discuss it. Stories of loss, love, of 9/11, of their most personal griefs. This poured out of them. Remember Me set off a tidal wave within so many viewers, the dimensions of which none of them knew when they first stepped out of the theatre, after the first viewing. The film set loose a veritable tsunami of feeling within each one.

Comments changed again. People were analyzing the movie.
-sticks with you and makes you think
-thought-provoking and caused me to re-evaluate my life
-I somehow felt more alive after watching this film
-this movie opened my eyes to grief

Another shift in the comments came when they decided this film had changed their lives. They analyzed their own lives and had existential epiphanies.
-remembering helps you grow and change
-I renewed my commitments to touch others’ lives
-the raw emotion this film evoked from me had been untapped for many years and was transforming; it got me to step back and re-evaluate my life
-how do I want to be remembered?
-what if today is my last day?

Next new blogs began, analyzing the film from different angles: artistic, psychological, sociological, through the characters, themes and symbols used. People thought it should be taught in high schools and universities.



Viewers had always used superlatives but now they used emblematic ones. It was a modern day Ordinary People. According to some, it was ‘the best film ever made’, ‘the best film I’ve ever seen’, ‘my favourite movie of the year’, ‘of all time’. It had ‘a deep message’, ‘a film that matters’, ‘not to be missed’ and would have ‘a lasting place in film history’. And big words were being used, by quite a number of them. The words Oscar and classic.

This movie, which was panned by critics, boycotted by the supposed fanbase, poorly marketed, had found its audience—which straddled demographics—and which was in awe of the profound impact it had had on each of their lives.

We are now at the stage when next year’s Oscar contenders are being selected in a general buzz. Where is Remember Me in all of this? Again, there is a big disconnect between those with power and influence to create Oscar talk and those who have see the film. Call it the great divide. And that begs the question: What the heck happened?



THE ELEMENTS:

Take a new script writer, a young untrained actor, an open set in New York City where papparazzi and fans hounded the star and made keeping focused a real test. What do you get? If Robert Pattinson is that star, you’d be surprised. Add veterans like Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Lena Olin and things get even more interesting. Mix in Tate Ellington, a romantic lead in Emilie de Ravin and intense child actor Ruby Jerins . Recruit stage notables like Kate Burton, Gregory Jbara and an uncredited Martha Plimpton and the results speak for themselves.

Will Fetters’ script creates multi-faceted characters, each of them well-rounded and complex. Viewers give their verdict: I was engrossed with the characters, who felt so real. I connected with the characters and story in a way I never have before. This reflects on both the script and the actors, who gave stellar performances. Superficially the story has some clichéd elements, but these are layered into a finely complex weave.

Now to Mr. Pattinson, whose work here cannot be underestimated. He plays Tyler Hawkins, and it is really Tyler’s story. Tyler is the linchpin, the glue, and without him the centre would not hold. Because Tyler is so important, a lesser actor would have demolished the film. But Robert gives a nuanced, subtle yet impassioned performance; every emotion is reflected on that remarkable face. We love Tyler by the end and when he dies the loss ripped our being, breaks our hearts; whether we are female or male, 14 or 90, the result is the same. We scream inside, sit stunned. By the tragic end we are so emotionally invested in him we cry for him. (Oh, did I not mention how many people left in tears?) You don’t do that for an actor whose range is limited to a broody James Dean imitation. Pattinson brings a believable vulnerability to the role which touches everyone. Acting calibre this good means there is natural genius involved. It’s time critics shed their juvenile prejudice and really watched his performances.



Allen Coulter, with Sopranos and Hollywoodland credits, has done a fine job on this one, weaving together many story strands in a dynamic and realistic way. The DP, Jonathan Freeman, has framed shots chock full of symbolism and interest. And Marcelo Zarvos, who wrote the score, used music to great effect, never intruding on the story and always hitting the right note. Even the end piece, which, during the final montage, begins with sad heartbreak and swells to uplifting affirmation, does so in a way which comes across as genuine, not contrived. It’s superb. Let’s not forget Nick Osborne and the other producers, who took a courageous risk to back it.

There is so much stuffed into two hours, and the themes of grief, loss, hope, healing and redemption come across with poignant illumination. Symbolism abounds unobtrusively.

Okay, the ending. That has been a subject of great debate, but it has, in the final analysis, divided critics again from the viewers. I will not go over this here as it is too complex and has been dealt with on other sites. However, the general consensus from audiences is that the ending pays homage, is a tasteful tribute. Tyler is the touchstone, the person who allows you into the tragedy, so you really know. He is the conduit. The shock was that his internal journey, from stumbling to serene, from floundering to forgiving, had taken him to a beautiful, soulful spot and he would die there. He would be taken away at just that point. The breathtaking beauty of his promise to the world was taken away just as it was unfurling.
“...And I forgive you” –that is the clincher.

This film is a tragedy, quietly coming at you in a natural and seemingly mundane way, until, by the end, it shakes your world apart, touches you at your core and resonates like few films ever have. It is just that good. It is, quite simply, a masterpiece.


THE MASTERPIECE

What to say first? How to say it?
The one word repeated like a mantra over and over by viewers was haunting. This film haunted them. I think each person in his or her own way was so affected. That is stunning!

It haunts because at the end Tyler is gone and we, the survivors, cannot come to terms with it. A young and, let’s face it, physically beautiful life, is taken from us at just that turning point in his life. The promise of his new understanding and breakthrough shines like a beacon for one glorious moment. And then—at that exact point—Tyler is taken away. Murdered. And we have to go it alone. And it is hard to bear. It haunts.

Each person remembers Tyler. Then imagines their own lover, son, friend, is Tyler. Then remembers real losses. Then is put in touch with their real grief. The film is, for some, almost overwhelming in its power to summon primal feelings. That’s why they couldn’t get it out of their heads. I’ve never seen such a huge demonstration of people needing to see it again, and again. At first they needed time to process the power it had unleashed inside them. Then they went again. And, not only does the film stand up after multiple viewings, it seeps into the soul.

Remember Me elicits strong feelings, and its substance provokes deep thought. People see new things every time they view it and its message gives them strength.



-Transformation-
Remember when I talked about how the comments kept changing? Well, with some people the process has been even more profound. What other film in recent years has riveted viewers and prompted them to make their voices heard? What other film has moved them and drawn them into the deepest part of themselves? Remember Me has guided them to these meaningful places within themselves. What an achievement! What a gift!

There’s an invisible pull, a yearning for that which surpasses all the wonderful parts I’ve talked about—acting, directing, story, music, theme. People are drawn to the film’s healing property. If the film speaks to you, you will return again and again to drink at that well of transformation. The filmmakers proceeded from faith in the material and did their best, so this almost sacred thing happened. It infuses the whole film and now there’s a glow which permeates it, from beginning to end, which cannot be accounted for. It is felt, just felt.

Anyone who needs healing and who is ready will come again to allow the radiance of the film to penetrate them. They know something significant happens inside them when they see it and until it has done its work, they will return. It is some wisdom working internally and the film is the catalyst.

This is a far-reaching effect. So, to those who go again, what happens? Well, Tyler lives and dies over and over and sometime in this spiral the viewers must transform, must, while accepting death, be reborn in some manner. Survivors have the hardest job, to go on, and yet how can they do this unless some transformation has taken place within them?

Do not underestimate the possible ultimate result of this film. Catalyst, if you want to call it that. Or, the illuminating effect that comes from this. The film is the messenger of transformation, the guide, the angel in the midst. And it cannot take us the whole way. No art, no person, can. Only we, ourselves, alone or with supernatural help, can do that. We must do that alone.

But all art must be entered into in the right way. You can’t get it if you are out to get it. You can’t be moved if you hold yourself apart from it, trying to be above it. That is what so many critics watching this film did. The sad thing is that those who do not come to it with the right attitude miss the grandeur, the profundity and the just plain loving beauty of it all.

Why? Because it will not allow those people in. Like any great creative effort which comes from the well of pure intent, it demands certain things. Remember Me demands respect, the right attitude, and most of all, -heart. And it has a right to. If viewers do not also give, the art either remains silent for them, or comes across as distorted.

I will go so far as to say that with all great art there is always a ‘higher power’ of some kind which is involved. But only if there is a purity of intent. The filmmakers of Remember Me had that, so something special wove itself into the process and now shines through in the result. That is plain.

There is always a great divide: before and after. Before he dies, and after. Before your loved one dies, and after. The haunting quality of Remember Me is significant in film history. Perhaps, on the issue of grieving, in hindsight, people will talk about before and after Remember Me.

Remember Me is a full-throttle masterpiece, from beginning to end, with not a false note, not a wasted moment. Unforgettable. And, yes, it should be in contention for the big awards, Oscar, Bafta, and so on. Of course. Duh.