Item: Remember
Author: Leah Gage

Remember

Rated: R

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Since junior high I’ve had a fascination with the Second World War, especially the role that the Germans played. I’ve long tried to understand the mindsets of the parties involved, (the Nazis, the Jews, the other prosecuted groups, the Russians, etc.), and just when I think I’ve got it mostly figured out, something else comes along to challenge my conclusions.

I’ve long known to take any film that claims to have even a smidge of historical accuracy, (that wasn’t a documentary of course), with a grain of salt. I do love to watch films based on true stories, but I know better than to take the information provided in them at face value. I tend to use them more as a jumping off point; something that sparks my curiosity enough to look into a subject on my own.

Christopher Plummer forgets things in Remember

        Remember, while not a true story, is just such a film. The film is about justice and revenge. A week after the death of his beloved wife, 90 year old Zev is bewildered and confused. His growing dementia makes it hard to function, even in the nursing home. When Zev’s friend and fellow Auschwitz survivor Max gives him detailed instructions and an envelope full of money, it becomes clear what he must do: hunt down the Blockführer who killed their families in the camp so long ago, and kill him.

        According to the film’s Wikipedia page, writer “Benjamin August, a Jewish writer from New Jersey who had never written a produced film before, told Canadian Jewish News that the concept of Remember ‘…started... with wanting to write a movie starring an older man,’ he said. He felt elderly actors received few leading parts and that old characters are sympathetic,” it says.

        That got me thinking, are there really that few roles for “people of a certain age”? It seems that, while it may have been a bigger problem in the past, it’s no longer such an issue. Films like Old Dogs, The Bucket List, Las Vegas, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel are prime examples of roles being written especially for the older generation.

Christopher Plummer can't remember what he's doing in Remember

         But I digress. Remember, while not doing so hot at the box office upon its release, (it brought in a measly $1,986,615 worldwide, while it cost roughly $13 Million to make), is certainly worth seeing. Writer Benjamin August has created a story that is captivating, gratifying and rewarding. At a time when it seems that most movie plots can be guessed within the first few minutes, Remember proves that there are still stories out there that will keep you guessing until the very last.

        Academy Award winner Christopher Plummer demonstrates in the main character Zev why he has over 200 acting credits to his name. His performance was so convincing that it’s a little hard to remember afterwards that Plummer doesn’t actually have dementia, or a German accent. According to the film’s Wikipedia page, “For [one] scene, [director] Egoyan intended to use a stunt double for Plummer, but Plummer demanded he perform the scene himself. Plummer later told CBC News, ‘For a moment, I was a little bit pissed off.... Because it made me feel suddenly rather old,’ “ it says.

        It is Plummer and costar Martin Landau’s performances in this film that establish rekindled respect for the older generation in Hollywood. Film is typically seen as a young person’s game, and in days gone by these beloved performers would’ve long since hung up their hats. Instead many of them continue to land roles in films that just wouldn’t be as good without them.

Martin Landau gives Christopher Plummer instructions in Remember

Remember is one of those little heard of films that is so worth the time it takes to watch it. And while it is historical fiction, it shines a light on an important issue that today many have forgotten about: that there are still Nazis at large and living under assumed names all around the world. So if given the chance watch the film, and then dig a little deeper into the history behind it, because it is so important that we all Remember.

Remember is rated R, was written by Benjamin August, was directed by Atom Egoyan and stars Christopher Plummer and Martin Landau. It’s available now on Blu Ray, DVD and digital download.