24 Unforgettable Hours in London
Suicidal musician Will (Tobias Menzies) sees Eve (Genevieve O'Reilly), a barmaid, being harassed by a drunk in the alley across the road from his flat and comes to her rescue. Unable to stop there Will ends up walking Eve across the city to a party when they discover the underground station has been locked up for the night. As they spend the next twenty four hours together visiting the sights and talking Will begins to fall for Eve who also has her own issues weighing heavily on her heart.
I didn't like Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise"; I found it a little too arty and pretentious for my liking with the dialogue and conversations failing to ring true. It is for that reason that I had massive reservations about watching "Forget Me Not" as whilst I am sure I would be able to connect with the characters and the locations more due to this being a British movie set in London the thought of watching two strangers spending 24 hours walking around London and chatting did little for me.
The good news is that "Forget Me Not" is a lot less pretentious than "Before Sunrise" and has a greater feeling of naturalness going on. Yes at times the things which Will and Eve discuss don't ring entirely true but then Tobias Menzies and Genevieve O'Reilly have this simple chemistry going on that watching them just chat and walk is surprisingly charming and at times sweet. Some of that is down to Alexander Holt and Lance Roehrig cinematography of London because it is a long time since I thought of the city as a romantic destination but they make it look beautiful.
All of which is well and good but here is the big thing and for many it will be obvious but judging some comments I read elsewhere it needs saying. "Forget Me Not" is not some typical rom-com, it is slow, at times gentle at other times surprising such as the opening scenes and basically moves at its own pace which won't be to everyone's taste. But it is such a well made movie that some of the scenes will blow you away none more so than those dealing with both character's personal issues.
What this all boils down to is that "Forget Me Not" does feel a bit like a British take on "Before Sunrise" and some may find it weak in comparison. For me I found it better because it is less pretentious and delivers a view of London which to be honest I doubt many would have seen, the gentle side rather than the hustle and bustle of busy streets. But it also has heart, so much heart that some scenes just captivate you like so few movies achieve.
