Combining a crime film with slapstick comedy and bubbly romance can be a tricky business, even more so when a mental asylum, corruption, and family issues are also involved. Do Duc Thinh however decided to include all of these elements in his film, with the result being interesting to say the least.
What We Forgot to Remember is screening at Viet Film Fest
Loan is a journalist who learns of her father's sudden death in the mental asylum he has been living in, and soon begins to suspect something is fishy. Binh is a courier who finds himself involved in some shady business, which eventually involves scaring Loan into stopping her research on the mental asylum. Through a series of absurd events, Binh ends up being amnesiac and Loan pretends to be a psychiatrist in order to trick Binh into discovering the truth behind her father's death. Eventually, however, mutual feelings begin to emerge, while the conspiracy is proven to be much bigger than Loan anticipated.
The main story of the movie seems to point to something completely different, but “What We Forgot to Remember” is first and foremost a comedy of episodic nature, with the gags starting from the beginning and never actually ceasing. The asylum part in particular results in a number of really hilarious characters, most of all James Bo, who fancies himself a spy. The way the people around Binh mock him for losing his memory also results in a number of funny moments, while the inappropriate computer technician and the thugs who are a gay couple are also a source of many jokes, with this inappropriateness actually being rather prevalent throughout the movie.
Do Duc Thinh also tries to make a number of social comments, regarding corruption and the way pharmaceutical companies work, the press, and the issues women face in the patriarchal society. Furthermore, elements of family drama also emerge, which eventually extends to the romantic aspect, although all of the aforementioned aspects are barely visible inside all the slapstick-ness that dominates the narrative. The action follows the same path, with the whole film emerging as an intently crowd-pleasing effort, a fact that is also stressed by how good looking the majority of the actors here are.
Talking about acting, Hoang Yen Chibi as Loan and Tran Ngoc Vang give rather fitting performances, with the former being a bit more serious and dramatic and the latter funnier and more silly. Both, however, are quite pleasant to watch, while their chemistry is evident throughout the movie. Thai Hoa as Bo is the one that steals the show however, with the finale particularly cementing his rather funny arc.
Add to all the above a well placed plot twist, an intense catifght and a number of various humoristic and action-oriented episodes and you have the backbone of a very entertaining narrative.
Nguyen Ngoc Cuong's intensely bright, intensely colourful, intensely polished cinematography fits the general aesthetics perfectly while Vu Hoang Anh's editing implements the episodic nature of the narrative rather fittingly through a rather fast tempo that also adds to the entertainment the film offers.
“What We Forgot to Remember” is shamelessly crowd-pleasing, it is silly, but it is also fast, funny, well-shot, and overall, a film that is rather enjoyable to watch.
