The Forgotten
A grieving New York mother fights to prove that her supposedly imaginary son existed after every trace of him vanishes.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- paranoid
- eerie
- urgent
- late night thriller viewing
- mystery movie night
What critics said
Critics found the premise initially intriguing and emotionally grounded but ultimately too implausible to sustain its mystery.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Telly’s memories of Sam are challenged as photographs, documents, and other people’s recollections disappear.
Telly’s husband and psychiatrist insist that her son never existed while she searches for proof.
Telly’s search for her erased nine-year-old son is driven by unresolved grief after the plane disappearance.
All physical evidence of Sam’s existence vanishes, and only Ash and Detective Pope gradually accept Telly’s account.
Films like The Forgotten, and why
The Sixth Sense
Shared psychological thriller atmosphere, grief-centered mystery, and destabilized memories surrounding a missing child.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Shared themes of erased identity, altered memory, and a protagonist investigating a reality others deny.
The X-Files: Fight the Future
Shared paranoid science fiction, institutional manipulation, and a desperate search for proof against an apparently impossible situation.
What Lies Beneath
Shared mystery thriller structure in which a grieving protagonist confronts an apparently supernatural explanation for a personal loss.
Movie Details
- Director
- Joseph Ruben
- Release Date
- 2004-09-24
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (1298)
Cast
- Julianne Moore
- Dominic West
- Gary Sinise
- Anthony Edwards
- Alfre Woodard
- Linus Roache
- Robert Wisdom
- Jessica Hecht
- Christopher Kovaleski
- Matthew Pleszewicz
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Forgotten about?
- A grieving New York mother fights to prove that her supposedly imaginary son existed after every trace of him vanishes.
- What is The Forgotten like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Forgotten as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Forgotten violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Forgotten as mild.
- What did critics think of The Forgotten?
- Critics found the premise initially intriguing and emotionally grounded but ultimately too implausible to sustain its mystery.
- Which films are like The Forgotten?
- Films with a similar feel include The Sixth Sense, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The X-Files: Fight the Future, and What Lies Beneath.
- How long is The Forgotten?
- The Forgotten runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Forgotten?
- In United States, The Forgotten is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
