We've Forgotten More Than We Ever Knew

We've Forgotten More Than We Ever Knew, produced in 2016, is a beautifully haunting movie that blends together the genres of drama, mystery, and science fiction. A successful collaboration of director Thomas Woodrow and writer Thomas Woodrow, the masterpiece efficiently makes use of its limited locations and small character list, focusing on a narrative that strikes the balance between enigma and emotional resonance. Acclaimed actors Doug Jones, Louisa Krause, and Aaron Stanford deliver immersive performances and successfully draw viewers into the hazy world of memory, meaning, and human connection.

The thrilling plot follows a man and a woman, portrayed by Aaron Stanford and Louisa Krause respectively, who walk seemingly aimlessly through an endless desert. Their journey unfolds in a devastated post-apocalyptic world, and they struggle to remember the past as they scavenge to survive. Their solitary existence is disrupted dramatically with the discovery of a mysterious, enigmatic hotel buried pool deep in the desert wilderness, raising more questions than it answers about who they are, where they come from, and where they're going.

The deserted hotel unveils itself as a labyrinth of unseen forces and strange happenings, harboring a third character, played by the remarkable Doug Jones. This stranger’s presence arouses tension and provides a shocking twist to the story. This labyrinthine hotel and its uncanny occupant form the heart of the film's mystery, treading a fine line between surreal horror and elusive science fiction.

Doug Jones, widely recognized for his transformative roles in films such as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water, brings his unique blend of physicality and sensitivity to his role, making a haunting but undeniable impression. Meanwhile, Louisa Krause, of The Girlfriend Experience fame, presents a stunning character study in resilience and vulnerability. Aaron Stanford, who has featured in the X-Men series and Nikita, delivers a gripping portrayal of a man tangling with elusive memories and a reality that seems increasingly abstract and untrustworthy. Their performances are backed up by the exquisite cinematography that emphasizes isolation and the uncanny through stark desert landscapes and the eerie interiors of the hotel.

Despite the intricate plot and evocative performances, the movie the We’ve Forgotten More Than We Ever Knew maintains a certain enigmatic quality. It nebulously treads the lines between the realms of reality and unreality, familiarity and strangeness, faith and reason. Infused with a sense of deep melancholy, it brilliantly explores themes of identity, memory, and human connection in an alien and disconnected world. Apart from the individual characters wrestling with variable degrees of amnesia, their collective oblivion in a post-apocalyptic world also throws noteworthy questions at the audience.

Nonetheless, the movie leaves its viewers with a sense of stark ambiguity, reflecting the precariousness of human knowledge and understanding, and the brittle nature of our realities. The movie is a poignant reminder of our intertwined pasts, presents, and futures, urging us to question how much we truly remember and how much we only believe to remember. This labyrinthine narrative becomes a metaphor for a world that is lost and then found again, encompassed by a shroud of mystifying emotions and revelations.

In its essence, We've Forgotten More Than We Ever Knew is engrossingly introspective yet subtly expansive, boldly probing through multiple layers of human consciousness and experience. Striking a perfect balance between the profundity of its script and the simplicity of its execution, this film embodies how sometimes forgetting can be as significant, if not more so, than remembering.

The film's exquisite composition, artful cinematography, and captivating performances make it an experience that is starkly haunting and immensely memorable. Its resonance lies in its exploration of the fragility and resilience of human memory and identity, making it an enigmatic journey that mirrors the contradictions of the human experience. Relatable yet distant, familiar yet strange - We've Forgotten More Than We Ever Knew is a presentation that raises profound questions while gracefully accepting the enigma of their answers. Its beauty lies in its ability to leave you fascinated, mesmerized, and adequately disturbed.