FORGET ME NOT : Kino! 2013 – New Films from Germany
April 17th, 2013 by Mr. C
Director: David Sieveking
Genre: German documentary
I was a bit weary when I read a brief synopsis of this film about a son documenting his mother Gretel’s advancing stages of Alzheimer’s. We all have dealt with this disease first hand or know of someone who has and we know it’s not easy seeing a loved one slowly lose their grip with reality. The documentary honestly sounded like a depressing film and a subject matter that has been taken to the hoop one too many times. Instead, Forget Me Not was a nice homage to the Director’s mother in living life to the fullest while being dealt with a card that attempted to create distance between Greta & her family from her soul. Yes, it was a stone-cold look at the reality of growing old with alzheimer’s but Greta and her family do it with dignity, love, and much filial pride. Along with the honesty, came a shocking unveiling of family history between the director’s mother and father (Greta and Malte). This element in itself is what separated other growing old films with Forget Me Not. We will learn that Greta and Malte will use the term liberal as a common denominator and essence in their lifestyle whether personal, socially, or politically. David (Director/Son) documents his mom’s day to day living with this illness and basically discovers another life that his parents have been living. This discovery strengthens the family ties even further though it might have put a burden, guilt, and heavy heart to some. This documentary is no doubt a bit more complex than what meets and reads the eye. Forget Me Not takes a personal look at celebrating life no-matter what skeletons may shake your existence. The story is a reflection of illness, love, & responsibilty while staring death in the face.
Forget Me Not is part of the Kino! 2013: New Films from Germany series hosted at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NYC from April 18–24, 2013. It screens on Saturday – April 20, 2013 at 1:30pm and Wednesday – April 24, 2013 at 7:00pm
Tags: documentary, german films, kino!, moma
Posted in movies, mr. c | Comments (0)
