"Du hast es Versprochen", which is the original German title and sounds a whole lot cooler than the international "Forgotten", is a traditional and mildly clichéd thriller that is nevertheless atmospheric throughout and building up towards a tense climax through solid performances and steady direction. The plot contains many basic elements that you've undoubtedly seen a dozen of times before and the vast majority of story twists are fairly easy to predict well in advance, but still it's quite admirable to see how the young writer/director Alex Schmidt turned the talkative script into a compelling and eerie film. Hanna and Clarissa, two beauties in their mid 30's coincidentally meet again under strange circumstances. Some twenty years ago, they were best friends and spent their holidays together at a small island community, but then they got separated. Since Hanna just caught her husband cheating on her, and Clarissa is still recovering from a suicide attempt, they decide to pick up their friendship and go back to the island for old times' sake. Once back on the island, many dark secrets and traumas that Hanna seemingly suppressed over the years come back to the surface. There was a third girl on the island, Maria, and she mysteriously vanished in the same year as Hanna and Clarissa's last holiday. Presumed long dead already, Maria's body was never recovered and the mystery surrounding her disappearance still endangers Hanna and her own 9-year-old daughter Lea. The small fishing island community, where it still appears to be the year 1909 since there aren't any paved roads or electronic devices anywhere, forms an ideal setting for a tale like this. There are large forests to get lost in, a lighthouse, castle ruins and – of course – those typical suspicious local yokels. Overall a praiseworthy European thriller that is worth the price of an entrance ticket if you encounter it at a festival, or something.
