When people think about revenge films, what comes to mind are angry, hellbent protagonists present in films like Oldboy or Unforgiven. However, in the case of Director Atom Egoyan’s Remember, the result is one of the genuinely saddest, most pitiful revenge quests one can ever see.
The film follows an elderly man named Zev, played by Christopher Plummer, who is a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. His wife has recently passed and Zev is also suffering symptoms of dementia. He sets out on one last ambitious quest — to kill the man responsible for his suffering in the Holocaust. With the help of fellow survivor Max and a detailed manifest to aid his ailing memory, Zev slips out of his nursing home. He travels across North America intent on meeting four suspects to determine which of them is the one he needs to end.
Indeed the premise sounds cold and gripping, signalling a journey that is sure to be brimmed with the brooding determination of a vengeful man. However, as mentioned, this is definitely not that story.
Rather than a knife-sharp vengeance quest, the film presents the depressing case of someone who has no business doing so. Zev is pushing 90, his physical and mental states are deteriorating. Despite that, he is purchasing guns, interrogating suspects and travelling thousands of miles. Yet, we primarily bear witness to his emotional breakdowns, terrified state during memory gaps and clearly unsuitable physical state. The film has you hooked by the neck, but not by some macabre gruesome quest for personal justice. Instead, we are hooked by the desperation of wanting Zev to stop and just turn back.
Christopher Plummer is the highlight of the film. For a veteran actor known for his striking and powerful roles, he successfully portrays someone of the absolute opposite. His gestures are sloppy and severely limited and his expression is almost always in confusion. When he talks, he is not the suave man we know Plummer for — he sounds pitiful and even lonely. More importantly, very little feels forced as Zev’s constant weakness comes off as genuine.
As a film, Remember does its part not only stimulating our sympathies, but also putting us in Zev's shoes. Camera angles and settings constantly provide a sense of situational discomfort. We are either in tight claustrophobic angles or vast areas that lack substantial context apart from the obvious. Coupled with the numerous encounters with absolute strangers, we are made to feel alone and lost with him.
In regards to the overall plot, it's a strange mix of predictable and unpredictable. It is predictable in a sense that you can figure out what its story-beats are in the first 15 minutes. What those beats specifically contain when they happen is something the film excels at withholding from you. Perhaps that is the genius of it – we technically know what is coming, but dread the remaining unknown details. Like a bullet heading our direction, its final impact location is unknown. The last 10 minutes will certainly shake you.
Overall, Remember is gripping in that it is depressing and stressful to follow. It's a tale about old vendettas that end up having nothing to do with our hopes for the best or expecting the worst. One thing is for sure – unlike the fading memories of Zev, this film will be in ours for a while.