Forgotten

Where Hitchcock Ends, and East Asia Begins

At first, "Forgotten" feels like another thriller about memory loss, kidnapping, and piecing together fragments of a broken past.
But like true Hitchcockian mastery, you think you're watching one kind of story — and by the time you realize what it really is, it’s too late to be safe.

In today’s age of fast emotional overload, true psychological horror — the kind that builds dread like a pressure system, quietly, patiently — is becoming rare.
Where Hitchcock’s suspense often lived in personal terror — the guilt of the individual, the terror of exposure — "Forgotten" evolves the formula.

"Forgotten" doesn’t just trap you inside one man’s fear. It traps you inside a culture’s understanding of community, family shame, and moral responsibility.
Here, guilt isn’t a solitary emotion. It echoes across generations, families, and public lives.
It’s a kind of horror that doesn’t just threaten your life — it threatens your worth, your belonging, your memory itself.

In an era that demands instant catharsis and louder emotions, "Forgotten" dares to haunt you slowly.
It trusts that real devastation — like real memory — happens not in shocks, but in silence.

Forgotten doesn’t scream. It whispers until the floor disappears beneath you.

Read More

A Masteful Psychological Thriller In the Hitchcock Tradition!

This is a fantastic psychological thriller reminiscent of some of the best films of Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense. In fact, I’m sure he would have been delighted by a plot that has so many twists and unexpected layers that I seriously doubt that most viewers will be able to figure everything out until the final reveal. When a writer can keep the viewers on their toes, you know you’ve done your job well. This film is simply a work of art.

The film opens in a seemingly generic plot of a family of four moving into a new house. Jin Seok has a strange sensation of having been there before, but he quickly dismisses it as a mere afterthought. However, he’s puzzled by a single room on the second floor that he’s told is forbidden to enter under any circumstances. From here, strange workings begin to occur. Noises in the middle of the night. Sounds that seem to come from the forbidden room above make Jin Seok wonder what is really going on. Things culminate one evening when he and his brother, Yoo Seok step out for the night when Yoo Seok sees that Jin Seok is unsettled. As Yoo Seok walks back to the house, Jin Seok witnesses several men abducting his brother by tossing him into a van and driving off. Yoo Seok returns 19 days later, but Jin Seok immediately notices that something isn’t right.

The film truly takes off from here because nothing is what it seems to be, and the viewer begins to struggle with Jin Seok and the reality of his situation. Is he hallucinating or dreaming about what’s been going on? Who is involved and why? Trust me. This movie has as many layers as an onion. Just when they’ve pulled back one layer, and you think you’ve got it figured out, a whole new layer is presented, and you’re left with yet another plot twist to unravel.

The writing, directing, and acting performances are all top-notch. Frankly, this may be the best thriller I’ve seen since “The Game,” which is another thriller that literally has the viewer guessing right up until the very end. That is a hallmark of masterful storytelling at its finest!

Read More

Acting and cast was great no doubt, I won't even talk about it.

My question is, how did the case get cold. Why did the detectives not doubt the victims' husband/father if he bought a large amount of insurance. Typically in other dramas/movies they would suspect the spouse if it has a large amount of insurance.
Also, is it because of the timeline? How did the police not have a piece of evidence like fingerprint when he did the job so poorly like leaving the scene looking like that.

Did his real brother die? Too many unanswered questions for the sake of my curiosity.

For the music, I don't remember anything so I guess it did not stood out.

This is a mystery movie so rewatching would kind of be pointless because you won't be thrilled anymore (IMO). But it is a great twist and turn movie. Highly recommended

Read More

A Thriller That Keeps You Guessing Until the End

I write really long reviews but here's a summary. Keep in mind this is just my opinion and I don't mean to offend anyone ❤️

❗SPOILERS AHEAD❗

The Good
Twist After Twist After Twist
This movie knew how to mess with your mind in the best way possible. The plot twists had me questioning everything, just like Jin Seok. When his brother came back acting all strange, I was sure Yoo Seok was the villain. I had my own theory board going, but of course, I was wrong. And that journey to the truth? So worth it.

Edge-of-Your-Seat Suspense
The suspense in this movie was chef’s kiss. From the pencil inches away from Jin Seok’s eye to the creepy room with those weird noises—every scene had me on edge. What made it even more gripping was the feeling that everyone in the movie knew what was going on, except for us. No slow build here—it was intense right from the start.

The Psychological Element
Jin Seok’s mental struggle hit differently because, honestly, it’s not just fiction. When you experience extreme trauma, your brain sometimes blocks it out as a coping mechanism, even creating fake memories. That’s what happened to Jin Seok. His guilt over the family’s accidental deaths was so heavy, it was buried deep in his mind. And when the truth finally came back? Yikes. It’s fascinating in a deeply unsettling way.

A Tragic but Perfect Ending
This might sound grim, but when a character gets what they want and then dies? That hits. It’s tragic, sure, but also poetic. Yoo Seok’s mission was finally complete, and then he ended his life. It felt like a tragic, full-circle conclusion. The whole movie started with tragedy and ended with it—perfectly tied together, in the most haunting way.

No Time Wasted
One of the best things about Forgotten was how it didn’t waste any time. No slow build, no dragging out the plot—this movie got right to the point. I watched it with my dad and stepmom, both of whom hate slow movies, and even they were hooked from the beginning. That’s how you know the pacing was on point.

The Bad
The House Was Just… There?
Why was Jin Seok in that house? I get it’s part of Yoo Seok’s trap, but it didn’t really help Jin Seok recover his memories. He didn’t start remembering until after he left. The house felt more like a weird psychological manipulation tool with no real payoff, rather than a meaningful part of the plot.

Lack of Flow
I love a good mystery, but Forgotten took it too far. The twists worked because they blindsided us, but the clues were nonexistent. We were trying to solve for A or B, only to be hit with an answer we didn’t even know was possible. The kidnapping? Juicy, but pointless. And the brother’s personality switch was just confusing—didn’t tie into anything. It was like they were so focused on making him suspicious that they forgot about the bigger plan.

Plot Overload
This movie couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. The two major plots—the kidnapping and the murder—competed for attention. They ended up just getting thrown at us in phases, with no real resolution. The kidnapping took way too much focus, especially considering how insignificant it turned out to be. Maybe they could’ve focused on one plot or expanded the story to give everything the attention it deserved.

The Trailer Lied (a Little)
Not a huge deal, but the trailer totally sold this as a "my-brother-isn’t-my-brother" thriller, and that wasn’t even the main plot. It definitely misled me, but I’m glad the movie still held up despite the bait-and-switch.

Final Thoughts
This movie is one of my top-rated thrillers. It hooked me from the start, with twists and a hauntingly poetic ending. A solid 9/10 from me.

But once you look closer, the cracks start showing—like the multiple main plots fighting for attention, and the kidnapping arc that didn’t really go anywhere. It’s one of those movies where the first watch is a rollercoaster, but on a second go, you’ll catch a few eyebrow-raising moments.

Still, no movie is perfect. Forgotten delivered where it counted. It’s the kind of thriller you wish you could experience for the first time again. And if you do rewatch it, just don’t think too hard about the plot holes—gasp dramatically, pretend you didn’t see them, and keep the popcorn coming.

Read More

Here you have it. A movie that will keep you holding on to the screen, grasping for the minimal detail that will allow you to understand what the hell hapened with that innocent family you get to know at the very beginning.

Let me warn you: You will not to come to a conclusion on your own.

At every step of the movie you'll get small hints and big twists and turns. I personally love a plot twist that I can't predict, so this movie turned out to be a great surprise.
My mouth shaped nothing more that a silent Wow, through out all the movie, and I was constantly feeling that the story was betraying me for not allowing me to believe in what I was watching.

As for the negative aspects, even though I loved the movie, maybe some revelations were a "bit" too excessive? Like they were hard to actually happened in our day-to-day basis. Was it the only way to connect all the dots or is it that weirdness what made this movie so different and good to watch? I have no idea, but if you give it a go, I think you won't regret it!

If the end is good or bad, expected or unexpected, I'll leave it for you to find out! ;)

IsaP

Read More

Love this movie.
When I started to see it I thought it was a typical Korean film, that for those who have been watching this genre for a while now, the movie could be very predictable ... but let me tell you that it is not.
I loved the performance of Kang Ha Neul - even though I hate him in Scarlet Heart - and the turn of the story is very good.
From the beginning it catches you, and I insist, you think that you already know what will happen when in truth you have no idea and as you look at it you want it to move faster and know what is happening.
Super recommended :)

Read More

Expect to stay on the edge of your seat

There was NOTHING in this story that I could have predicted. It makes you question what the hell is going on from beginning to end and when things come to light, the truth just leaves you shocked.

Stellar acting by Kang Ha Neul and Kim Moo Yeol. Music did it's job creating the right atmosphere but nothing memorable.

I agree with what another reviewer said about rewatching being rather pointless since the mystery is what makes this movie - unless you're rewatching to look out for the details you might have missed the first time around, or to observe someone else's reactions/journey (that should be fun).

I'd also say that once you're lying in bed replaying the plot in your mind you might start noticing and questioning some plot points. But that didn't dampen my overall enjoyment of the movie.

Am really surprised I didn't hear about this movie before (found it in "more like this" from The Call and watched it because of MDL reviews and Ha Neul) - it truly deserves more attention.

Read More

Potential

If you're just getting into psychological thrillers or enjoy plot twists this is the movie for you. I truly enjoy psychological thrillers and that causes problems here. I've seen so many that I unfortunately saw a good bit of everything coming. There were definitely a few parts that caught me off guard and legit I almost crapped myself BUT overall I feel this movie was lacking serious potential. I enjoyed it none the less and it definitely is a huge mind f***. Acting was pretty spot on given the plot and my re-watch value is fairly decent. No doubt this movie deserves the high score it has. Be sure to pay attention or you might get lost...only for awhile, luckily.

Read More