“The Remembering Movies” is an emotional short film about a grandmother (Mary Boucher) who is showing signs of Alzheimer’s. Her grandson, Decker (Sean Marquette), decides to show her movies in an attempt to save her life and help her remember. Cue violins … now!
I’m not a cold-hearted beast, but I do hate to have my emotions manipulated in such an obvious way. Director Rowley did it so by-the-numbers that I could only see the film through a cynic’s eyes, and nobody should be forced to watch a movie that does that. Therefore, it still failed to move me despite the excellent cast.
Making a film meant to produce tears is far too easy to do. Throw in something lovable that’s dying and half the audience will be sobbing when the credits finally roll. Those types of films should score no points in any viewer’s book, and “The Remembering Movies” is no exception. If you can distance yourself from the plot, however, you’ll find a film with some interesting depth and acting talent that demands to be noticed. Too bad the story had to get in the way.
