Review: 'Remember Me' with Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Chris Cooper, and Pierce Brosnan

'Remember Me' - Robert Pattinson

Remember Me is a film which immediately beckons the thought of at least two adjectives: emotional and provident.

The film chronicles a point in time of the lives of "Tyler" (Robert Pattinson) and “Ally” (Emilie de Ravin), though it also rather importantly peeks into the contemporaneous journey of Tyler’s younger sister “Caroline” (Ruby Jerins).  Tyler’s mother (Lena Olin), father (Pierce Brosnan), stepfather (Greg Jbara), and friend (Tate Ellington) as well as Ally’s father (Chris Cooper) are prominent characters whose emotional statuses through the story are intertwined with the main characters’.

DIRECTOR: Allen Coulter
SCREENWRITER: Will Fetters

CAST: Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Ruby Jerins, Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, Tate Ellington, Martha Plimpton, Greg Jbara, Kate Burton, and Peyton List.

SUMMARY: Tyler and Ally have separately endured unmistakable tragedies, and they continue to suffer from their losses. While both incidences of privation took place years prior to the film’s setting, the marks left upon the two are heavy and unyielding (and in Tyler’s case very literal).

Aidan, Tyler’s friend and partner in crime, encourages him to pursue the company of a girl, Ally, because he has discovered her to be the daughter of a policeman who has wronged the two.

From the first moment that Tyler approaches Ally, though, it becomes clear that revenge is not the dish being served at their dinner date and that dessert, instead, is the first course.

The two enjoy a rather quick but unhurried romantic connection and things escalate between them in the regular course. The circumstances leading up to their union, however, threaten to disturb the stillness of their waters.

Meanwhile, Caroline is perceived by her peers to be an eccentric young lady who does not quite fit the mold of the typical sixth grade girl, and she suffers not only from the same loss Tyler endures but also from the delicate politics of childhood alienation. Tyler’s regard for Caroline’s happiness appears to be one of his most paramount characteristics in the story.

SETTING: The film is based in New York City, New York – for better and for worse – and the various peaks and valleys of the plotline are well accompanied by the surroundings provided by the setting.

REVIEW: Visually, the film is quite subtle and uniform. The angles and colors utilized by the director are clearly purposed toward a neutrality which allows the cast to take center focus rather than the typical scenes a faire that you might see in a movie based in such a travelled city.

Giving the actors that deference and space to occupy was not a mistake, either.

Robert Pattinson can rest easy after this film, knowing that he has given a performance worth – at the risk of using an overplayed word – remembering. He is able to deliver the calm as well as the storm when necessary in this movie, and he captures the intensity of his character’s wildly emotional and physical responses to his circumstances. If a doubter remained after his beautiful work in How To Be or The Bad Mother’s Handbook, this performance will effectively place the balled-up sock into his or her jaw-dropped mouth.

Emilie de Ravin, too, presents a sturdy and balanced figure whose acceptance of life and death is rather unchallenged until she allows Tyler to see the bountiful remnants of her life’s history. Even while unearthing the shaking truth of her story, though, de Ravin portrays Ally as the one with a tighter grip on the reigns of her emotion. While de Ravin is no newcomer to the film world, having wowed many with the very intense The Hills Have Eyes, her ability to portray a sympathetic female romantic lead will certainly be noticed in Remember Me.

The secondary cast in the film is strong as well, with Ruby Jerins absolutely nailing every scene in which she participates and Lena Olin adding that observable truth to her character’s plight. Pierce Brosnan stands out as the stubborn and formidable foe to Tyler’s wishes, and Chris Cooper – to say the least – delivers on the role of a man who, trapped in his own head, is hurting the person that he loves the most. Tate Ellington serves as the comedic relief which combats oversaturation of dramatic tension, and he does so well. Finally, Greg Jbara, Martha Plimpton, Kate Burton, and Peyton List all make significant use of their short time on the screen.

Especially remarkable about Remember Me is the chemistry and believability of the various relationships involved in the story. For starters, Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin present a connection that gradually betters through the course of the movie – parallel to the progression of the relationship. Also, Pattinson’s chemistry with Ruby Jerins is a pleasant surprise and the combative ambiance of the relationship with Pierce Brosnan’s character is also present in their scenes together. Lastly, where Emilie de Ravin and Chris Cooper are on-screen together, there is no doubt that there is an angsty and familial bond between them.

As a whole, the film is full of surprises, but it has a unidirectional feeling of focus. The very leading nature of the storyline makes the film one in which the viewer becomes very involved. There are moments of triumph right alongside those of despair; there are moments of love pinned right next to those of hatred and resentment; and there are visions of hope sided by those of travesty.

Remember Me will leave its audience talking about the film hours after the final credits.