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''Forget Me Not'' is a 2019
short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
starring James Cosmo, John Heffernan and Ruby Royle, directed by Nicholas Goulden and produced by Angela Godfrey, both of whom wrote the
screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...
. It tells the story of Isobel, a young girl who forms an unlikely alliance with a lonely homeless man as she struggles to get a message to her family in time for Christmas. The film was shot in
Hammersmith, London Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...
, and the score was recorded at
Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...
. It won a number of international awards including Best Drama at
Portobello Film Festival The Portobello Film Festival is an independent international film festival based in London, which annually premiers over 700 new films, including feature films, features, short films, shorts, documentaries, music films, and animation. Additionall ...
, and
The Dam Short Film Festival The Dam Short Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Boulder City, Nevada, typically in early February. Lee Lanier and Anita Lanier are the original co-founders of the festival. The festival is organized by the Dam Short Film Society, a ...
and Best Short Film and The Special Prize at Zero Plus International Film Festival. The film's television debut was on London Live and it is now available on a number of online platforms including
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
. ''Forget Me Not'' was crowdfunded on
Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
.


Plot

Isobel, a silent young girl, is lost and alone on the streets of London. She looks like she wants help, but no-one notices her. It is six days until Christmas. Isobel intently watches a world-weary commuter, Jack, as he speaks to his troubled young son on the phone. She seems to share his concerns and follows him. Jack walks to Benedict, an older homeless man, giving him a coffee as part of his daily ritual. Benedict stares vacantly and barely responds, but Jack accepts this as normal and continues on his way. Isobel stops to look at Benedict, empathising with his plight. Wandering the streets, increasingly hopeless, she that night comes across him again and, despite her own situation, she feels sad for him and stops to look. To her amazement, Benedict looks up and stares right at her. He is the only person who can see her and is, she realises, her only hope. In an effort to communicate with Benedict, Isobel gives him her teddy bear as he sleeps. But next morning, the bear has disappeared. Benedict thinks little of it, assuming he was dreaming. The same thing happens over the next several days as Isobel tries - and fails - to communicate with Benedict, succeeding only in frustrating him. As the days go by, Isobel's hope diminishes until, two nights before Christmas, Benedict becomes angry and yells at her to leave him alone. Terrified and distraught, Isobel runs away. On Christmas Eve, straying from his usual spot after Jack gives him cash to buy a coffee, Benedict sees a photograph of Isobel nestled among old bouquets of flowers that mark the site of a fatal traffic accident. The penny drops. That night, finally realising that Isobel needs his help, not the other way around, Benedict finds her and apologises. She offers him her bear and, looking at it in a new light, he now notices that sown into the label is the name and address of Owen, Isobel's brother. He promises to get the bear to Owen in time for Christmas. Content at last that her message will be passed on, she hugs Benedict and disappears, leaving her balloon to ascend into the night sky. With renewed purpose, Benedict goes to Isobel's house. He is greeted by Owen, a four-year-old full of beans, who runs off for his parents. He returns with his father, a very surprised Jack. When Benedict gives the bear to Owen, he learns that Owen blames himself for Isobel's death because she was hit by a car after running to pick up Owen's bear which he had dropped – and Isobel is trying to tell him that she is ok. As Benedict turns to leave, Jack, struggling to come to terms with what has just happened, invites Benedict in. As the credits start to roll, a young man carrying a sports bag arrives at Benedict's now empty spot and starts to settle in. Even on Christmas Morning, the cycle of homelessness continues.


Cast

* James Cosmo as Benedict * John Heffernan as Jack * Ruby Royle as Isobel * Louis Brodie as Owen * Anton Romaine Thompson as Barista * Ricardo Freitas as Drunk Homeless Man * Tom Patrick Coley as Young Homeless Man


Reception


Critical response

Critical reception for ''Forget Me Not'' has been very positive, both on Rotten Tomatoes and elsewhere. UK Film Review called it a "devastatingly moving story" and ranked it in the Top 20 films of 2019. Critical Popcorn said it was "an unforgettable, heartwarming story". Flix Chatter described it as "such a beautiful film" and Candid Magazine said it "will fill you with tears of joy". It has an average
IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
rating of 8.2.


Awards and nominations


References


External links

*
Forget Me Not website
' *
Forget Me Not on Amazon Prime Video UK
' *
Forget Me Not on Amazon Prime Video USA
' * {{IMDb title, 6632276 2019 short films