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Short Film Review: Unforgettable (2020) by Eleanor Teh

This brief snapshot of a moment is the directorial work of , who co-wrote with director Anwar Johari Ho another short movie called “Forget Me Not”, a three-part account – from start to end – of a love story between two young expatriates in London, a Malaysian Chinese and a Chinese Mainlander. Although this review should look at “” as a work per se, it is rather difficult not to notice that this is an ideal fourth episode of the other short, featuring the same protagonist and quoting “Forget Me Not” in short flashbacks.

Memories are indeed the main theme of “Unforgettable”, as the title boldly suggests. Lei () is going down memory lane as she is about to leave London for good. London is the city where she has been working for 6 years and it is where she has met a man and also where their love story has ended. Now, accompanied by a new partner, she revisits the places of significance for her, to give a closure to her feelings. They linger in front of Price Charles Cinema where Lei remembers watching her first film (a memory that I share with her!). She had watched 's Goodbye South,Goodbye” and after the movie had listened to a fellow Chinese singing a song she cannot remember. As the goodbye tour continues, memories flood back and she starts wondering if going home is the right thing to do. After many years, she is not sure any more what she is going to find back home. Maybe she is not ready yet.

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Eleanor Teh's short movie is the record of a closure, a photograph of the erratic sensations that pervade you at the end of a chapter and the dawn of a new one. In a classic three-act structure and in the short 17-minute duration, Lei faces her memories, is overwhelmed by them, and finally makes her choice. The sense of place is key in this process. London's corners trigger sweet or painful memories while the place to go back to has shifted in Lei's mind in the meantime and she fears of being out of place once there. When Lei tries to summon the things she will miss of her living in London, she can only come up with walking around without a purpose and cigarettes. Such two generic things are a strong reminder of what a combination of place and time means in our life and in our memories.

Shot with controlled elegance and realism, it effectively epitomises the feeling of sorrow and melancholia of moments of transition. London is captured in its volatile and moody atmosphere and the chosen musical theme of J.S. Bach's “Well-Tempered Clavier” has the right tempo to accompany that. By the end of the film, Lei will have made her decision, and the forgotten song she mentioned at the beginning comes back to her lips and she sings “Endless Love”.

Eleanor Teh has proven with this short film to be able to direct on her own and also – as seen in “Forget Me Not” – to have a good collaborating relationship with Anwar Johari Ho. I am curious to see if they will explore more together of if they will part.

About the author

Adriana Rosati

On paper I am an Italian living in London, in reality I was born and bread in a popcorn bucket. I've loved cinema since I was a little child and I’ve always had a passion and interest for Asian (especially Japanese) pop culture, food and traditions, but on the cinema side, my big, first love is Hong Kong Cinema. Then - by a sort of osmosis - I have expanded my love and appreciation to the cinematography of other Asian countries. I like action, heroic bloodshed, wu-xia, Shaw Bros (even if it’s not my specialty), Anime, and also more auteur-ish movies. Anything that is good, really, but I am allergic to rom-com (unless it’s a HK rom-com, possibly featuring Andy Lau in his 20s)"

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