Remember Me's Tag Line - "Live in the Moments"

As a Thanksgiving treat, Jessegirl has written a lovely article that examines Remember Me's tag line and title in terms of Remember Me's past, present and future.

~by jessegirl November 25, 2010


So many audience members, commenting on their experience of Remember Me, express their take on its tag line, “live in the moments”. Invariably they see it as a message about life, even a lesson, which the film has brought home to them. Some take it to heart and vow to change their behaviour. In essence, people interpret it as a call to appreciate and be thankful for what they have now. This has something is common with the message of the North American Thanksgiving holiday.

Will Fetters’ simple words—which did not make it into the film—are, I think, most indicative of the tag line’s meaning. From the original script:

"You can’t know
So don’t take it for granted
But don’t take it too seriously
Don’t postpone what you want
Don’t leave anything misunderstood
Make sure the people you care about know
Make sure they know how you really feel
Because just like that
It could end."

Tag Lines:
Let’s backtrack a bit.

Tag lines are created for marketing purposes and act like catchy sub-titles which give people a little bit more information about the film, especially its tone. So we have: “It’s a job. It isn’t personal...well, maybe a little”, which lets everyone know that The Bounty Hunter isn’t a serious drama but is a romantic comedy.

This device will help pull in the right audience. Some titles, like She’s Out of My League, need little explanation, but tag lines like: “How can a 10 go for a 5?” are one-line promises that you will have a good laugh when you see the movie. One of Hurt Locker’s tag lines implies gritty nobility: “You don’t have to be a hero to do this job. But it helps.”

And Alice in Wonderland goes for the biggest demographic in its unabashed “Fantastic fun for the whole family”. Most of Dear John’s many tag lines emphasized gushy romance, for example: “Love brought them together. Will fate tear them apart?” This reads like something off the back cover of a Harlequin romance.

Generally speaking, I don’t think this marketing tool is meant to deliver a life lesson or philosophical message. Although Precious indicated hard-core realism capped by a general conclusion about life, spelling it out for you: “Life is hard. Life is short. Life is painful. Life is....Precious.”

I have never, as I recall, taken tag lines to heart or pondered them in any way. They’re just the slogans or jingles for movies, nothing more. “Live in the Moments” is no exception and never struck me as being very meaningful. At first it even sounded trite to me. The film itself is profound in its exquisite execution of a poignant story. Once seen, the film begs a wise tag line, something which will stick with you. For me the title, ‘Remember Me’, doesn’t need anything else.


Live in the Moments:
Bear with me as I analyze this phrase a bit. It can be taken many ways.
Jimmy Fallon, in his interview with Pattinson, determined, off the cuff, the tag line meant: “Do what you want, ‘cause you never know what’s going to happen.” He was kidding. This reminds me of the old song, “Let’s live for today”, which has a reckless connotation and seems hedonistic, an endless party, you know, sex-drugs-rock-‘n-roll. Enjoy but don’t take responsibility.

Or does it mean carpe diem, because if you don’t seize the day it will be lost? That you will have wasted it? Some of those commenting use words like:
Live –intensely, every moment of your life;
Live –in the best possible way;
Live –in the present (not in the past);
Live –life to the fullest;
Live –a good life, with good intentions;
Live –every day as if it were your last;

The thing is, what is the best, the fullest, a good life, to one person is different for another. The terrorists attacking that day no doubt thought they were living that day as if it were their last, living it to the fullest. Believe me, they seized that day!

The tag line, by itself, has nothing to anchor it and clarify it. Living in the moments means nothing separated from Will’s words about expressing love to those you care about because “just like that, it could end”. “I love you,” Tyler and Ally said to each other that last morning. That was what was important. That was part of what Will meant. It’s not living for today because you don’t know what tomorrow brings. It’s telling and showing the people you care about love, because anything could happen tomorrow, anything could take them away, or you, like Tyler was taken away. Just like that.

“Live in the moments”, without the rest of the sentiment, can be interpreted too many ways and is not good enough to carry the burden of insistence. (While I am pondering all this, am I ‘living in the moment’?)



Past, Present, Future:
It’s ironic that the title and the tag line contradict each other. If you are remembering, you are living in the past, not ‘in the moments’, not in the present. Everything about memorializing, never forgetting, is bringing the past into the present, keeping the past—in this case, Tyler’s life and 9/11—present, always. And ‘always’ means the future.

And when people ‘get on with their lives’, it means they work towards a future, like Aiden, buckling down to his studies because his friend’s death sobered him up pretty quickly. So Aiden’s partying mode, his ‘live for today’ way of being, was discarded for a more serious attitude. I don’t think Aiden and Tyler left things unsaid between them. I think they knew they loved each other.


One of the most significant things we do is ponder the past and learn from it. And we are always in the past when we are grieve, re-living the moments we had that person with us, or those moments we screwed up—all the Hawkins except Caroline do this—or moments we had no power over—like Ally in the subway, or Neil, absent at a crucial time. Grieving takes us to the dark night of the soul, to confront monsters more powerful than those in any fantasy world.

Grieving is not just a snap-shot parade of remember-me-moments which we want to relive—like Charles—or a journal in which we talk to the lost love because we miss him so much—like Tyler; it is guilt that we didn’t get it right, that we were somehow responsible. And guilt keeps us stuck in the past. Guilt is a very necessary thing, in the right circumstances; it would, for example, have served the hijackers well. Instead, they deluded themselves into thinking they were martyrs while they were slaughtering innocents. I bring this up to remind us that guilt has its purpose but, like any necessary thing, it can be misplaced.

Why should Tyler feel guilty about Michael? And why should he think Michael is guilty? Why should Neil feel guilty, for not being there, in the subway, that night? Diane and Charles, like any parents who lose a child, whether that child is a baby or a young adult, whether through accident, illness, murder, feel guilty because it is their job to protect. A dead child means you’ve failed. And some of the guilt could be well placed. Perhaps—we don’t know the details---Charles was so overbearing that he killed Michael’s hope for his future. (I’ll get back to hope and the future later.)



Living in the Past:
If anything obliterates the present, it is grief. A veil or film lies between the mourner and the world. He experiences things through filmy glasses; he knows the day is clear but an invisible veil hampers him from seeing it that way. It is removed from him, just out of reach, not quite there.

In many ways, Tyler’s preoccupation illustrates this [I covered this fully in Tyler in Remember Me - The Human Face of Tragedy and Tyler's Journal ] When Tyler keeps scribbling in his journal, he is in that other world. Should he be more present, more ‘in the moment’? Should he be fully present to what is in front of him? Well, apart from the fact that he can’t be, I don’t think he should be either, not at all. Tyler’s ruminations about his brother and about life are crucial to his healing and to the way he will be able to live his life in the future.


And should Charles refrain from living in the frozen past of his family’s life as it loops on his screensaver? It might not be the best way to keep his family close, but at least it includes them all, and he can imagine Michael there, imagine life before he and Diane parted ways.

But Charles is treasuring a past when the family was intact, instead of making sure his loved ones know every day that he loves them. The wall he has built around himself to shield him from his own guilt and loss has to come down so that he can turn to his loved ones instead of turning them away.

Charles needs a wake-up call, and Tyler desperately tries to give him one. One of the saddest things in the story is that Charles was just beginning to waken out of his guilt-induced stupor when Tyler died. Charles is the character who most needs to ‘live in the moments’, to cease taking for granted what he has. The irony may be that by living in the past, seeing Michael’s face every day at his desk, he is giving thanks for what he had but ignoring the beautiful children he has left.


Weighted down with real or misplaced guilt, the characters are stuck in the past and grappling with their internal demons. What will get them out of it? Well, in this way the film was perfect. Tyler’s voice-over, simple, short yet eloquently saying it all: “and I forgive you”. This is the biggie. This is the hardest thing, yet it is the only thing which will get all of them out of the past. Tyler has forgiven his father, and Michael. It is unstated, but Tyler has also forgiven himself, -for not being what he couldn’t be for Michael, for being what he shouldn’t have been to Ally, and just for surviving. That’s why Tyler is so serene at the end.

Coulter, Fetters and Pattinson thought it was just acceptance, but it went deeper.
We all saw that calm and serene softening look on Tyler’s face; he was untroubled, facing the day. It is ironic, but at the end Tyler was living fully in the moment. He was healing. Relationships wouldn’t be miraculously smooth sailing, but a good start had been made. After forgiveness, we can heal. Until then, not. Until then, ‘live in the moments’ is impossible.



The Future:
I have touched on the past: “Remember Me”.
I have talked about the present: “Live in the Moments”.

And what about the future? Well, it is what can be faced, as Tyler did at the end, only after forgiveness and love has made it possible to heal. The future is Charles and Diane linking arms at the gravesite. It is Aiden becoming studious. It is Charles with his arm on Caroline’s shoulder, then holding her hand in the museum. It is Neil and Ally hugging each other tightly. It is Ally on the subway, holding fast to her memories of her mother and of Tyler, and then letting their spirits go. None of them take each other for granted anymore. But it took the death of their dear Tyler and Janine to do that. It took death. It was a high price.

Remember Me explores the past and bids us never to forget. It reminds us to make the most of every moment, make sure the people in our lives know how we feel about them. And, Remember Me points us in the direction of a hopeful future.

The future is being able to believe that the spirits of Ally’s mother, of Michael, of Janine, of Tyler, can and will both stay with their loved ones, yet also soar away. Stay and soar. Their fingerprints will never fade from our lives. They will touch us and we can hear them, always. The future is hope.

Tyler at that window. Our hearts stop. But. Tyler at that window is hope.
He has to know we can hear him.

Love Letters for Remember Me

Congratulations to our sister site, Regards sur le film Remember Me - Looking at Remember Me who has posted their 100th post!

The feature of this lovely post is Love Letters for Remember Me. The post is filled with artwork and editorials about the film, submitted by the followers of the blog.

Please take a couple of minutes to check out the beautiful artwork and writing.

Vote for Remember Me

People's Choice Movie Poll for this week is your pick for your favorite Robert Pattinson movie. Remember Me is one of the choices.

Voting is open until November 24th!



Click here to vote:
People's Choice.com

Remember Me Discussion Group

Charles tells Tyler he doesn't know what love is. Why does he do this to Tyler? Is he right? Does Charles himself know what love is?

Remember Me Discussion Group

What's your impression of how men and women react to it? How differently and how much the same?

The Legacy of Remember Me – Part Two

We are very excited to have Part 2 of Jessegirl's very insightful and touching article about the Legacy of Remember Me. This piece deals with the legacy that Remember Me leaves inside each of us individually.


-by jessegirl- November 2010

Remember Me delivers its gut-punch and then its flash-forward conclusion but the audience is left to deal with a welter of feelings and a jumble of thoughts. And, in the process of dealing, a number of things often happen. Taken together, these things are clear indicators that this little film will have a lasting impact. As I’ve said, legacy is that which remains. I believe that Remember Me has already found entry into the hearts, minds, souls, and memories of many of its viewers.

It touches us. We love it and it finds a place in the heart.
It provokes thought. We think about it and it finds a place in the mind.
It changes us. We go inside ourselves and it finds a place in the soul.
It stays with us. We remember it so it finds a place in the memory.



However, I must concede that for whatever reason some viewers don’t like it at all. With some, it is just a matter of taste. Fair enough. And some just don’t like sad endings. Okay. Others are offended by the ending. Some, like many critics initially, absolutely do not get it. They do not understand the whole grieving aspect of the film and, if they don’t understand that, they do not understand most of the characters’ actions. Some supporters think these detractors are uncomfortable with grief—accounting for their nervous laughter — or that they are jaded. Perhaps. But some of them are either wilfully obtuse and/or callous. Because it doesn’t take a genius to tap into Remember Me’s core, nor does it take a person who — like Remember Me’s characters — has been affected by grief. It takes an open-minded, sensitive, fairly intelligent person. That’s all. However, when speaking of all art, “the good ones don’t serve it up to you – you have to work for it” [Tedracat. IMDb: RP board “Re: People Who Criticize...”]. I’ve voiced this same sentiment in other articles myself.

So it should be understood that while Remember Me’s “fingerprints don’t fade from the lives it touches”, it is obvious that it won’t touch people who lack sensitivity and open-mindedness. I invite those of you who have read both these articles to voice your opinion on what Remember Me’s legacy will be.

A Place in the Heart
The emotions are fully recruited when viewing this movie. However, apart from the shocking engagement of the opening subway scene, which puts them on high alert, the emotions come slowly, innocently, quietly, like that first scene which introduced viewers to Tyler. After the sweets shop scene though, we know the ride is no longer smooth. From there we become acquainted with all the characters’ feelings — e.g. Caroline’s hurt that her father doesn’t love her—and things become complicated pretty quickly.



Our feelings are brought into play subtly, via the actors’ natural performances. Viewers begin feeling with and FOR the characters, not just the protagonist, but also all those in Tyler’s world. This becomes emotionally taxing but I don’t think most viewers are aware of how draining it is until the end. It builds gradually, a myriad of feelings popping up, approaching and receding, colliding. It is all pretty manageable until the climax, and then all hell breaks loose.

When Tyler stands by that window, the flood begins. Nothing can be contained anymore. It is so stunning that some people stay, riveted, momentarily unable to move, to function, to breathe. And many, many people cry. From comments on various sites, blogs, message boards, this phenomenon is very common among men as well as women, teenage boys, middle-aged men. I have dealt with the powerful emotional experience which characterizes the immediate impact and which has a strong cathartic component. [Tragic in Remember Me]

So, boom, huge heart-rending sorrow.

Somehow, it is like the deepest part of you awakens, and all the pain which comes from loving has to be let out. The deepest part of you awakens. It’s like that. It’s a physical feeling. Your chest tightens. You cannot breathe. Tears start pouring down your cheeks. You close your eyes, your lashes wet. You squeeze your eyes shut but your chin trembles anyway. You bite your lips to keep the keening animal sound from escaping. You can barely contain this pain of loving and losing him. So you don’t. You let the pain out. The best and deepest part of you is awake. And so Remember Me has your heart in a vise grip.



Many people have expressed this awakening in different ways, every one of them trying to find the right words, as I have just now tried. Today, this comment was made on a fansite:

-“When I saw it in the theatres I felt like I had been kicked repeatedly in the chest, along with the symphony of sadness and angst and emotions I don’t even have names for because I had never felt them before....feeling lasted for hours...one of the most profound emotional and mental experiences I have ever had...” [Jill. ThinkingofRob. Oct. 27]. The deepest part of you awakens.

But not all the feelings are dissipated with a good cry. Some are residual because catharsis is not instant; it takes its time to work through you. It opens personal wounds and if you have enormous ones you have a bigger job coming to terms with it. Hence the overwhelming need to share stories of personal losses in the safe venue of an anonymous comment on a website, and to read experiences of others and know that you are not alone. There are so many of these stories and they make for illuminating reading, but one will suffice to highlight the depth, the intensity of emotion RM has the power to evoke. One viewer reports:

-“I saw a grown man (around 55 years old) standing outside the theatre with tears streaming down his face...[he said] ‘Tyler was my son that day. Tyler was my son that day.’...[She and her friends and this stranger sat in a café, shared silence] Tears all dried up, we began to share stories and the weight had lifted.” [alliecullen. Robsessed. RM spoiler post March 16]

How often does this emotionally-laden scenario occur after a movie screening? The tears, the support and discussion with strangers? In this particular way, Remember Me’s reception has been highly unusual. It’s astounding really. When reading this anecdote, I could hear the man’s anguished cry:
“Tyler was my son that day.” The deepest part of you awakens.



A Place in the Mind
That story illustrates how the intense emotion pushes forward a drive to understand what just happened because, despite the bittersweet requiem, the viewer is still in shock. When the numbness wears off people need to talk about it. They have a need to talk to others, to discuss, blog, comment, phone, tweet, email, use any method at their disposal.

Because Remember Me is such a multi-dimensional, layered film, because it leaves some things vague or not spelled out directly, it is a rich source for discussions on motivations of the characters, on back story, on what might happen next. It’s amazing what has been done already on this blog in the discussion comments and on forums and on some of the articles created from the controversy, and on Pattinson fan sites which put out ‘spoiler posts’ at that time.

Some of the discussions centered on the ending because controversy always generates discussion and even now debate and dissension continue. When Bryan Reesman submitted his article to Moviefone, he reported: “A topical Moviefone story can often pull in one or two dozen comments. Some have topped 100. This one reached 300 within 12 hours of being posted. At one point last night, I was literally receiving 78,000 views, easily making it the post of the night and landing it a top spot on AOL’s main page.” The Brevet and Bartyzel articles also, as I’ve stated before, attracted lots of substantive comments.



Right from the get-go this film has produced a lot of discussion and it hasn’t stopped. More than seven months after its release people are still commenting. At IMDb there are ‘newbies’ who have just watched the DVD and either comment on old threads or start new ones [e.g. ‘Oscar?’; ‘Extremely Underrated Film’; ‘The Critics were wrong about Remember Me’; ‘Some love for Remember Me’; and so on.] All kinds of people who gave it a pass before, now effuse about the film.

So an aspect of the film’s legacy is happening right now. I’m still writing. You’re still reading. Original viewers and new ones are still commenting. New discussion posts continue to appear. [“Remember Me script vs film’s ending” on ThinkingofRob, Oct. 27]

I can’t hope to cover the variety of discussion about this film. But it is intergenerational, with older people teaching younger ones about 9/11, with people expressing the view that Remember Me should be used as a teaching tool, be taught in high schools and universities, with students already writing essays about it, and with others sharing their stories of grief, loss, and problems.

It is also global, with people from other countries coming to understand the attack from a human perspective. This young man from Australia, who has just now discovered the film through the DVD says: “Not many films do this to me, and I am a big movie buff...But it blew me away...[the ending] invested me in these characters and gave me an understanding and emotion for the attacks that occurred...I now have...a connection, an investment in the tragedy...” This new enthusiast goes on and on. “Everyone did a brilliant job and this film is just remarkable, 10/10. Awards I hope because this film is wonderfully crafted...” [MadDogAbbey. IMDb: RM board. “Blew Me Away”. Nov. 4]

If you are one of those who have been profoundly affected by Remember Me, then the need to share is strong. You recommend the film to friends, relatives, co-workers, the clerk in the video store, or any random people if talk vaguely suggests a connection. You have to overcome obstacles of misunderstanding, misconceptions about ‘that vampire guy’, and a host of issues which are clamped around this film like a shell around the pearl. If you encounter dismissal and still continue, your efforts border on evangelism or ‘pimping’—as one supporter called it. Uh-oh. This is how normal word-of-mouth has become complicated for this film. When you realize this is becoming counter-productive, you stop. Then, much later, some of those who dismissed you see the DVD in the store, think ‘why not’, buy or rent it. Or they view through Netflix. All of a sudden message boards sport new posts called: ‘I was shocked how well done this was!’ New viewers want to share, all kinds of people who gave it a pass before. After Pattinson won the Teen Choice Award for Best Actor for Remember Me teens and tweens have finally decided to give it a chance, and are blown away, -for their own reasons.



By all definitive measures, Remember Me is not a sleeper hit yet though. Those complicating factors from pre-release to thorny word-of-mouth have plagued it all along, no matter how enthusiastic much of its audience has been. It’s not even on the nomination ballot for the poll-driven People’s Choice Awards, while all kinds of lesser titles clutter the ballot.

But the search for common bond by talking with others about Remember Me is a much greater legacy than any of the awards. People come at it from different experiences , some of loss and pain, the broken brave place, but all of them come from that same deep place in the heart. They reach out to talk to others. They can’t stop thinking about it and reach for meaning. Remember Me lets them know on this profound level that it is all right, that it is the reason we are all here. And that in the end, no matter how many words we use to find the meaning, it is the sharing that matters, not the words.



A Place in the Soul
We are more than physical, thinking, feeling beings. We are more than the sum of all these. Tyler leaves, others leave, but something of them is left behind because they were also something more. It’s weird but Pattinson’s statement about the film [to Talking Pictures TV] seems somehow appropriate here. “When you see clips they don’t make any sense outside the movie. It is such a kind of whole....” Remember Me is definitely more than the sum of its parts too.

Something else is at work here, an undefined force which binds with gossamer threads, which enters our souls. It gets past all our defences. And once it is there it never leaves. -“It’s a rare piece, in that it touches the soul of the audience like a good movie should.” [Milouette. IMDb. Re: The critics were wrong about Remember Me. Oct. 10]

Generally, people do not speak of films this way but if this were the essential criterion we used to judge a film’s worth, there would be a huge shake-up in film evaluation. This aspect is rare and most films, no matter how cleverly crafted and artistically or technically rendered, no matter how skilfully acted, do not have it. We can appreciate their excellence but they do not touch us deeply. They win awards, are on ‘best’ lists, but they lack this rare quality which is present in spades in Remember Me. Because compassion is ever present in the tone of Remember Me, it does have it.




It
Part of It is the ability to change lives, to aid in transformation. It is the ability to connect with the deepest part of ourselves, the part that will itself be left behind, that will be our own legacy.

I have reported on the ‘haunting’ quality of Remember Me before but must come back to it here because people are continuing to use this word repeatedly. There are posts named “Haunting” where newbies who have been introduced to the film by DVD, need to unload, to let others know, to gain assurance that they are not unusual. For example, “I saw it last week too and it’s still haunting me and I’m glad I’m not the only one!” [Bsloths. IMDb. RM post. Sept. 17] They do this partly, I think, because of the intensity of their reaction, and partly because it rarely happens when they watch movies. So they don’t know how to handle it. Then someone who saw the film months before informs them that they are far from alone, that many people feel this way. Sort of a “welcome to the club”.

When people talk about Remember Me haunting them or that it “had an amazing impact on my psyche” [ForRentWithMark. IMDb. Oct. 6] we all know it has gotten into the soul. That type of effect is hard to get rid of. It stays.

A Place in the Memory
When viewer say Remember Me stays with them, then it has taken up residence in their memories. I’ve shared comments like those below before; just realize there are many, many similar statements.

-“It stays with everybody who sees it. That is the mark of an exceptional film.” [Laurie. Robsessed ]

- “It’s rare for a movie to stay with me as long as RM has...its haunting me now (in a good way).” [Verlinda. Brevet]

- “I was profoundly moved by Remember Me – I can’t get it out of my head.” [Paula. Brevet]

-“If I’m still thinking about a movie the next day I consider it usually to be a good movie. I have been thinking about this one for the entire week.” [Cindy. Brevet]



And one image that sticks in everyone’s mind more than any other is Tyler standing at that window, just before the screen goes blank. It has become an iconic moment in the film; this article is not long enough to quote everyone who has mentioned it as something they cannot forget. The image is memorable because it is the moment when all realizations coalesce.

I like what this viewer said about that moment:
“Have you ever been in the vortex of a storm? Where it is so quiet and calm and perfectly still? That’s how I feel when Tyler was standing by the window. So eerie and nerve-wracking.” [shufflebin. Robsessed- Bartyzel post]



Tyler was ‘quiet and calm and perfectly still’. He was at the still point, the centre, and at that moment it was made clear to all that that centre would be forcibly removed. That in itself would be enough to make it stay with viewers. But of course it was so much more than the protagonist’s life. It was September 11th, and all that that implies. So 9/11 was part of the realization that something evil would fly in to take away Tyler and so many others. All of this was fused together, inseparable.

This one unforgettable, emblematic moment and the silence which follows is flanked by Zarvos’ score, the montage of Tyler’s last morning before and the montage of his loved ones after. And the music adheres in its own way to the silences. The music ties everything to the memory. And, likes all good music, when we hear it again, it harkens back to its source, to the film. Music is perhaps second only to scent in its ability to evoke memories.



One of Remember Me’s legacies is as a touchstone to remember 9/11, but with a perspective that has humanized the tragedy. That is the key difference between it and any other 9/11 films. Seen through the lens of this fictional character’s life, the terrible significance of the event is brought home, making it both more real and more personal. By doing that, Remember Me has become an effective way to keep 9/11 in the memory of contemporaries, to ensure that those too young to remember will know, and to bring it into the future. Lest we forget.

To explain Remember Me’s reception, some have called it a movie before its time. However, its universality as a human tragedy and its bond to a national tragedy makes its relevance both timely and timeless.

Remember Me’s true legacy goes beyond the tangible measurements I talked about in part one of this piece. Nice as the other forms of recognition are, I hope those who made this film realize that they have accomplished what really matters. Remember Me touches us. It provokes thought. It changes us. And it stays with us. Heart, mind, soul, memory. How many other films have done that, -can do that?





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Sources for comments and quotes:

Ropes of Silicon.com
“Reacting to Remember Me: an Interview with Screenwriter Will Fetters”, by Brad Brevet. March 16, 2010.

Comments from the site: RobsessedPattinson.com
about the Bartyzel post.[“Post-Movie Coffee: Remember Me”, by Monika Bartyzel. March19, 2010. “Post-Movie Coffee: Remember Me”, by Monika Bartyzel]
and various ‘Spoiler Posts’ about Remember Me, dated March 12, 13, 14, 16, and April 2, 5th. (The comments for this film in these posts on this huge and popular fansite were notable for their intelligence, insight, perception, thoughtfulness, as well as their passion. These particular posts should not be dismissed.)

Attention Deficit Delirium.com“Remember Me: Stirring up Controversy and Emotions”. March 16, 2010. In the quote he is referring to his article: by Bryan Reesman. March 15, 2010.

“Remember Me script vs Film’s Ending” Oct. 27, 2010. Thinking of Rob.com

Comments on:
Remember Me at IMDb.com
Robert Pattinson at IMDb.com

The Legacy of Remember Me: Part One

In Jessegirl's latest wonderful article takes a very interesting and thoughtful look at what the Remember Me Legacy might be in the future.

-by jessegirl- October 24, 2010

Gazing into a crystal ball, what will Remember Me’s legacy be?
Will the Oscars, Baftas, SAGs, Golden Globes look favourably in its direction?
Will it be included in future “Best Film” lists?
Will it become a classic? Or perhaps a cult classic? A sleeper?
Could it become a best-loved film?
Could it appear on film courses in universities, or even find a niche in high school history classes? What criteria do we use to measure legacy?




Hmm. I’m sure some people reading this will think these are ridiculous questions. Given the way the industry and media operate perhaps many think specifically my second query deserves only a raised eyebrow and a dismissive snort. Knowing the film as I do, I would never have predicted either poor critical reception or fair to middling box office, certainly not both together. But that combination was part of what propelled me into defending the film. What does that say about the accuracy of my crystal ball?

It is early days to speak of legacy, I know. It’s been only about 6 months since Remember Me’s U.S. theatrical premiere. However, with films, predictions are rampant. People have no compunction to say “generating Oscar buzz” about other films, either before general release (Oprah, about Precious at TIFF), or after a lucrative premiere (The Social Network).



Oscars and Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
This type of Oscar buzz is laden with self-fulfilling prophecy. It manipulates the public into considering certain films Oscar contenders just as they’re leaving the gate, only because the media has presented them this way. (I’m not judging the worth of the films I mention, but am observing a pattern.) The public gets used to hearing a particular film’s title together with the word Oscar and this word association sticks in their minds. People are primed to buy into this idea; the buzz builds because from the first time people hear of the film it has been given this classy cachet, whether deserved or not. Once it takes hold, this initial hype feeds on itself. People think there must be something of value in the film. If the film really isn’t that great, it becomes a situation of The Emperor’s New Clothes. Only independent and rebellious viewers won’t be swept up in this almost mindless concurrence.

But a self-fulfilling prophecy is a machine in motion, and inertia carries it forward, not insight, excellence or perspective. And this machine can effectively go in the other direction and shut down a film’s future too. The words which early “critical” reviews associated with Remember Me were designed to cut it off at the knees (i.e. shameful, exploitative, manipulative, tacked-on ending, maudlin and so on).

And, in my opinion, the only reason Remember Me has not had Oscar buzz surrounding it is because of the biased, unprofessional behaviour of critics. Their rash, opinionated yet obtuse attitudes created an avalanche of misconception. And their negative words adhered to the film, tainting it. Let’s face it, Remember Me’s true audiences would be drawn from outside the Twilight universe, a broad demographic that would have to be won over another way. In any case, believing makes it so. If you hear these derogatory words often enough, you would be likely to give the film a pass rather than a chance. It all comes down to belief, to faith in the arbiters of opinions.



Critical Acclaim
Now some staunch supporters of Remember Me have made predictions that in future, when Remember Me’s excellence is finally recognized, in some gloriously imagined future, the critics will eat their words. Others think this is a pointless fantasy. I know that if this back-pedalling ever comes from the critics, it will not be in time to make a difference to the up-coming awards season. Critics are not known for eating humble pie; after all, what faith would people have in a critic who makes a marked about-face?

Other supporters think the die is cast, critical reception being—er—critical to award nominations. So when I speak of Remember Me’s legacy, I go far beyond the awards. I have, of course, advocated persistently on behalf of Remember Me — to the annoyance of some — have attempted to counter the juggernaut of negativity and to generate Oscar buzz myself at the grass-roots level [See my article Oscars and Remember Me.]



But that’s a rusty engine to start if it’s been sabotaged from the beginning
and my puny efforts cannot take the sugar out of the tank, so to speak. Who the heck am I? To use another metaphor, battling this many-headed Hydra of established critical influences takes a superhero and I’m not that. I would leave behind all talk of awards except that other viewers who loved this film are vocally enthusiastic about its award-worthy nature. I may be a passionate advocate but I am not the only voice, far from it, I’m only one of so many viewers. The following are the tip of the iceberg:

-‘It has to win some kind of award.’ [Nancy]
-‘ITA...this movie needs to win awards! The quality of this movie is just fantastic!...And the entire cast deserves serious accolades...It is definitely award-worthy!’ [GwenCooper426]
-‘this is Oscar worthy...’ [Bonemama]
-‘the movie is a masterpiece...’ [alliecullen]


Best Film Lists
Everyone knows that not all Academy Award winners withstand the test of time, whereas some films/directors/actors which have never won awards are now on either best-loved or best film lists. The awards have glaring omissions (Hitchcock stands out). Films not nominated for a single Oscar which are now considered classics are Bringing Up Baby (1939), Fail Safe (1964), His Girl Friday (1940), and The Searchers (1956). Films not nominated for Best Picture include: Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds, Some Like it Hot. Actors never nominated include: Marilyn Monroe, Maureen O’Hara, Dirk Bogarde, Martin Sheen and Donald Sutherland (whose snub for Ordinary People was stunning).
One could go on in this vein and Filmsite.org has.



“Best” lists vary and are themselves subjective and skewed by the attitudes of the year in which they are made, as well as the gender of their creators. These days cynicism wins over compassion, clever crafting wins over reverence, for example. ‘Gritty’ and ‘slick’ tenor win over emotion, and the degrogatory ‘maudlin’ is attached to anything attempting to deliver tender feeling. These are general 2010 biases.

Classics
But what the lists give us is some perspective and what critics pan now might be considered a classic in time. Remember Me’s audiences have voiced this also, repeatedly.

-‘It will still be relevant in a year, 5 years, and in 10 years.’ [GwenCooper426]
-‘I’m sure in some years from now it will be one of those movies that when you say you haven’t seen it people look at you in wonder/surprise and tell you “you can’t be serious, you HAVE to see this movie!”’ [Vafla89]
-‘If ever there was a film that requires perspective, it’s RM...Some things require a second viewing before you ‘get it’...I have a feeling this film is going to be talked about a LOT over the years...Right now we’re dealing with a ‘knee jerk’ reaction.’ [Nikola6]
-‘This is in a class on its own, a class beyond excellence, and certainly beyond what the usual movie fare is.” [Solas]
-‘This film will be a classic!...They don’t make them like this anymore.’ [Valerie]
-‘This movie is a classic. People just don’t realize it yet.’ [Jennifer L]
-‘This is going to be one of those films that in 10 years will be looked back upon by critics as one of the best ‘unusual’ films of the decade –it will make many lists of outstanding films that were underappreciated in their time but gained respect and stature as the years go on and more and more viewers discover it.’ [Rubydynasty]

I agree with this. Remember Me will, at some point, not only be vindicated, but will be considered a genuine Classic, -capital ‘C’.



Money
The Box Office for Remember Me is actually quite respectable, considering its genre. It made approxomintley $58M worldwide (its foreign BO was great). This more than delivered profit, as its budget was a mere $16M. Some big budget films competing with it, like Green Zone haven’t made back their budgets. I won’t make comparisons with other films here as it is complicated to find apples-to-apples candidates.

DVD domestic sales are currently $10.3M at least (not included are Walmart figures which are not released, and international sales). Rental figures are strong as well.

Audience polls
Box Office Mojo’s readers’ poll gave Remember Me 81% [67.6% (A) & 12.9% (B)].
Compare with: Green Zone 60.5%; Dear John at 51.1%; Alice in Wonderland 69.8%). Only Oscar contenders/winners fared as good as or better than Remember Me: Blind Side 87.6%; Hurt Locker 81.7%; Precious 82%; Avatar 88.1%).
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Poll: Remember Me = 71% liked it.
IMDb : a respectable 7 out of 10 ranking for Remember Me.
Amazon (US and UK) audience DVD reviews: average 4.5 out of 5 stars.

There’s more and one could go into more detail comparing various films on these scales but in general Remember Me has found great audience approval. These measurements have their own biases and problems but they are used for all films.



Real Legacy
All of the factors I’ve mentioned tell only part of the story. Legacy is more. Legacy is “that which remains”. When the dust settles, what will be the core, the kernel, the essence of Remember Me’s legacy? Remember Me is a film about legacy: Ally’s Mom’s legacy; Michael’s legacy; Tyler’s legacy; and that of 9/11. Thematically, it is suffused with legacy.

Immediate Impact
The ‘prologue’ grabs you right from the beginning.
The first scene—Tyler’s apartment—eases you into the narrative skilfully.
The climax tears you forcefully away.
The epilogue—the requiem montage—begins the next journey.
So, from beginning to end you are engaged.

The prologue scene, the murder of Ally’s mother, grabs you immediately. Yes, it’s the unexpected violence, but it has been presented skilfully. We see the relationship between mother and daughter right away and then know the husband’s pain as the scene closes. A combination of fine acting, cinematography, music, and craftsmanship has done its work. We’re there.

This is followed by the first scene, the introduction to Tyler’s life, ’10 years later’. After the violence and sadness of the prologue has caught our attention, this scene subtly eases us into the main story. The phone is ringing quietly and the music is gentle as we travel through the apartment to observe Tyler’s form partially visible on the fire escape.



The cinematography here is masterful, both in concept and execution. We inhabit Tyler’s domicile right away, move through it to meet him as he enters from the other side. This scene is genius.



Tyler adjusts his ears to verify the sound of the phone, his face and form evident to us in increments. Then he gingerly repositions cigarette and beer bottle.



All this care has aroused our curiosity even before he stumbles, then slowly, carefully, leans across the bed to reach for the phone yet leave the girl in the bed undisturbed.



He answers with a soft voice and before we know it we see him walking up the hill to meet his family at the grave site. By the time family dynamics are played out in the sweets shop we are trapped in the Hawkins’ gossamer net, drawn irrevocably into Tyler’s life.

The journey from there to his death keeps our emotions so engaged that we soon feel related to these characters. Then the tether snaps, breaking the connection; it is taken away. After allowing us in, it destroys. And so we come to the epilogue, the end. We do not want to let go but we have no choice since we have been torn away. It is shocking.

After that we have to deal with being torn away. And so, in the process of ‘dealing’, a number of things happen—some all at once and some linger to be dealt with later—things which, taken together, are rare when responding to a film.

In Part Two, I will show how we deal, and in the process, try to articulate what I feel to be Remember Me’s legacy.
I will talk about how significant legacies find:
A Place in the Mind.
A Place in the Heart.
A Place in the Memory.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Sources for comments:
robsessedpattinson.com Various RM spoiler posts (March and April).
IMDb Robert Pattinson message board: Some Love for Remember Me(Oct. 15).

“Reacting to Remember Me: an Interview with Screenwriter Will Fetters”, by Brad Brevet. March 16, 2010. Ropes of Silicon.com
Sources for figures:

IMDb.com
Rotten Tomoatoes.com
Amazon.com
Box Office Mojo.com

Filmsite.org

Nominate Remember Me for the People's Choice Award

We all have said that Remember Me deserves recognition as the special, wonderful film that it is. Now there is something we can do about it!

Let's write in Remember Me for a People's Choice Award!





Nominate Remember Me for Peoples Choice Awards by clicking on the links listed below, then type in Remember Me in the other box:

Favorite Movie
Favorite Drama Movie

Thanks AZ!

Remember Me Discussion Group

We have commented before about the similarities between Ally's father and Tyler. Do you think that there are similarities between Ally and Tyler's mother?

How Remember Me Compares Internationally

by Sammie1863

All of the talk in the other thread about Remember Me motiviated me to take a look at some of the totals, especially those outside the US. Remember Me seems to be done in theatres now unless it opens in additional international locales. It's performance, especially internationally, is pretty impressive. BO earnings for Remember Me through October 3 is $36,785,867. The overall total for Remember Me on Box Office Mojo as shown is just for those countries listed on its site (this seems to vary between films). The totals for India and Switzerland and perhaps other locations are not included. The last total for Switzerland was $1.1M. I would hazard to guess that India is probably similar, so I believe the International BO was probably closer to $39M.

Whatever Summit's ultimate profits were, I think that those who are watching have noted that this is an impressive performance due in great part to Rob's participation. Just to give an idea of how well the film did, I have compiled some film's international totals for comparison. These may or may not be similar films, but, they are familiar films which should help in gauging how well Remember Me did. The "star power" in some of the films listed and the performance of Remember Me in comparison, is also, IMO, an indication of Rob's potential draw. For a relatively small film usually showing in fewer cinemas than the bigger films (sometimes as much as 50% less), Remember Me finished in the top 25 OVERALL (weekend totals for all countries) for six weeks maintaining a top ten finish for 3 weeks. It rarely opened out of the top ten in any country and was more often in the top 5.

Most of the films listed are finished or appear to be near the end of their run. Production budgets are in parentheses.

1. Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang: $63.3M ($35M)
2. The Book of Eli: $62.2M ($80M)
3. The Green Zone: $59.8M ($100M)
4. Law Abiding Citizen: $52.9M ($50M)
5. Kick Ass: $48.1M ($30M)
6. Killers: $45.1M ($75M)
7. Ghost Writer: $43.7M ($45M)
8. The Back Up Plan: $39.9M ($35M)
9. Edge of Darkness: $37.6M ($80M)
10. Remember Me: $36.8M ($16M)
11. Dear John: $34.9M ($25M)
12. Nine: $34.2M ($80M)
13. From Paris With Love: $28.5M ($52M)
14. The Last Song: $26.1M ($20M) *Still Playing/Will increase, but, IMO will not surpass RM
15. Letters To Juliet: $20.4M ($30M)
16. Daybreakers: $20M ($20M)
17. The Road: $18.8M ($25M)
18. She's Out of My League: $16.8M ($20M)
19. A Single Man: $15.7M ($7M)
20. The Crazies: $15.3M ($20M)
21. Brothers: $14.5M ($26M)
22. Hot Tub Time Machine: $13.8M ($36M)
23. Cop Out: $10.5M ($30M)
24. Brooklyn's Finest ($9.1M ($17M)
25. Leap Year $6.7M ($19M)

Source:
IMDb

Remember Me Discussion Group

'You're responsible for no one!' Charles yells at Tyler. Is this true?

Remember Me Discussion Group

Care to share? How many times have you watched RM? What keeps bringing you back?