Amor Esquecido

8.0 stars.

This will be an instant classic I'm sure of it. This film evoked deep emotions to my core. The screenplay was perfection. The soundtrack was superb. The sets were authentic and noteworthy. The acting was spot on.

The only downside for most of the audience is the language, which is Polish. As far as I know, this is one of the least spoken of the main languages in the developed world, so most will have to read the subtitles or utilize the dubbing. And some of the dubbing is lost in translation, the phrases and slang are outdated (slightly) and many of the voice actors did not capture the intended emphasis or pauses as I would have desired. Notwithstanding, I was still profoundly moved by 'Forgotten Love' ('Znachor').

Something about the Polish culture must take some extra hard work to translate into a Western mindset, however I was extremely entertained. Some of the scenes actually reminded me of great epic films of yesteryear. There are glimpses of the handiwork of many a famous director. And I must reiterate the soundtrack was brilliant and very moving. Many aspects are award-worthy, and hopefully this receives some nominations.

If you have zero trouble with dubbed films, you absolutely must see this. Something about the ambience and the emotional response it brings is difficult to explain without simply advising you to give this film a try and see for yourself.

I must emphasize that I don't want you to raise your hopes too high, because there are some parts that make little sense, slow moments interspersed throughout, maybe some awkward segues between pivotal scenes. On the other hand, there were also scenes which reminded me of 'Legends of the Fall', or perhaps a Jane Austen adaptation, or some great American films from the 1950's, 60's and 70's; and one critic mentioned it is akin to 'Les Miserables' and I wholeheartedly agree.

Forgotten Love is a pre-war Polish epic that belongs in the company of Les Misérables, Dr. Zhivago, and Gone with the Wind, to name a few of the grand stories that depict love, its loss, its renewal, and the effects it has over generations of families and countries. This Netflix third adaptation of a cherished classic novel, The Quack, brings freshness, period perfect costumes, and production design for a complete cinematic experience.

A renowned surgeon loses his memory after an attempted robbery in a dark street. Lost and confused, he roams the country for decades not knowing who he is or whatever happened to the little daughter his estranged wife stole from him. His love in this dynamic period piece is both for his lost daughter and his lost occupation, which once made him the top brain surgeon in the country but now catapults him from the upper class to the lower.

Director Michal Gazda quietly shows in a series of remarkably affecting scenes how this lost man saves lives without knowing why and comes closer to finding his daughter than he could ever realize. While his amnesia is persistent, the film shows how something as deeply felt as a gifted skill and its passion manifest even without realizing it. Lesek Lichota gently plays the heroic Doctor Wilczur with such finesse and understatement that none can deny his greatness.

After a few improbable incidents, including Polish magical realism, the doctor emerges. Along the way, the film emphasizes the class divide through the secondary romance of the doctor's daughter, Maria (Maria Kowalska) with Count Czynski (Mikolaj Grabowski).

A society that can deny peasants' medical needs and thwart the integration of love between those boundaries reveals a cruelty that only heroes like the doctor and his daughter can overcome. The film consistently emphasizes the class divide and its attendant injustices.

While Forgotten Love at times evokes tears in the delicacy of love forsaken, the film grounds itself in the reality of lost love and class warfare to the dramatic extent that reconciliations might not happen, so determined fate seems to be to deny happiness and, most of all, love.

Forgotten Love is one of the best international films of the year that satisfies our need for romance in art that leaves us happy to be human.

Znachor adaptation directed by Jerzy Hoffmann remains one of most touching films of my childhood.

So, the curiosity, some serious reserves, the certitude than Jerzy Binczycky has no pair but provocated by the courage of Michael Gazda, I saw it.

And it is far to be dissapointed experience. In fact, two virtues define it - the splendid portrait of Poland life between wars and the high loyalty to the novel.

Sure, the acting is basic virtue and the story grows up with inspired crafted dramatism. But the second virtue is the wise recreation of atmosphere, using old buildings and clothes, nice cinematography , fair use of nature.

The story is familiar and its dramatic reflexes, good use of humor drops, the dialogue are great good points. And, indeed, Leszek Lichota is fair option for Professor.

In short, just a beautiful gift.

In this day of fast paced movies with no soul and pure emptiness and quick sensual gratifications, movies like this are a rare gem. It shows how directing and story telling to be done and what essence of human life to focus on.

It has soul.

Through the challenging circumstances characters dont settle for easy gratification but instead they choose to do the right and meaningful things. Which you dont find in most mainstream movies today.

We have a lot of dysfunctional empty productions lately on all streaming medias, leaving the viewer feel depressed and empty, its movies like this that still show the promise of depth and meaning, redemption.

Watch it, you deserve a connection like this.

The film attracts your attention with its emotional depth. While we follow what is happenning to Doctor Wilczur, we also witness the warm, hopeful love story of Marysia and Count Czynski. The cinematography, set design and music are quite impressive. Peaceful rural landscapes, villages, peasants... Everything and everyone in this movie is very native and convincing, every scene reveals the hard work done. The performances of the lead actors Leszek Lichota and Maria Kowalska add originality to their characters, I admire both of them pretty much. My only negative comment about the movie is that the ending seemed a bit rushed, they could have made a great mini-series from this movie..