Esotropiart

Well, since everyone else is doing it (and I am SO into following the crowd [not]), and the sheer genius of it beckons me, I better incorporate the infamous play on words. Except I will add a new lemon twist of sapidity to the mix: I'm going to throw in a little Shakespeare for sophistication. Here goes... This movie: "To be or not to be Forgotten?" And the stands roar in flat blasting stomping and applause! My answer would be "not to be", for I rather enjoyed The Forgotten for the most part.

Perhaps I shouldn't be a movie critic (duh), cuz I don't like to criticize the balderdash out of movies. I tend to go off my first impression: Did I like it, or not? I think I generally liked The Forgotten, starring Julianne Moore. I guess I am somewhat partial towards psychological thrillers, so just about all of them strike my fancy (oof, that hurts!). In the most raw and revealing terms possible, The Forgotten is about a race of aliens that are running experiments on humans, trying to see if they can make them forget. After all, if they could thoroughly erase the memory of a human, they could do anything they want (like the little flashes carried by Men in Black agents). In fact, that's the whole crux that makes this story somewhat believable. If aliens were experimenting or visibly interacting with earth, they would have 3 options: 1) come in peace and establish fellowship, 2) conquer and place earth in servitude or destruction, or 3) cover up all contact with absolute certitude. Since we humans are a pesky, cognitive sort, there are no other options. I mean, think about it: An alien steals our friend or family member, and we get pretty upset, so we either 1) declare war, 2) use our limited investigative resources to find justice and a complete answer, or 3) keep our eyes out for similar disappearances. All three of these responses would make it pretty hard for aliens to continue their research. Obviously this whole line of thought is based in a fictitious world, and I don't personally believe any of this happens, but it's fun to imagine, nonetheless.

Our conclusion is then that humans - especially our worried mothers - won't simply forget about a mysterious disappearance. Take for example the recent disappearances in the news, like Natalee Holloway or Brooke Wilberger. We don't soon forget. So the primary and first experiment aliens must attempt is to successfully and selectively erase human memory without severely harming or killing the specimen, and what better test subject than a protective mother or father? Obviously the whole movie pivots on this dilemma, and that gives it logical credibility, and therefore interest for me in the case of a psychological thriller.

In a way, I guess it makes you wonder, "How hard would it be for the aliens to erase me?" How many people have I affected, and how many care about me enough to come looking after me? I think it is a fear of all humans that they will some day be forgotten. I find some comfort in the love of family and friends, knowing that they won't forget me. And ultimately, there is a God who loves each and every one of us exactly as we are.

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" (Isaiah 49:15, NIV)