Some of the best films I have ever seen are films that the majority of people I talk to have not seen, or in many cases, even heard of. Many times it is because it is an independent film or a foreign film, and more often than not, it is a shame more people have not seen it. I am fortunate enough to have access to a wide array of films, seeking them out whenever I can. Once such recent film is Forgetting the Girl, the debut film by director Nate Taylor.
Kevin Wolfe (Christopher Denham) is a New York photographer who specializes in doing headshots for aspiring actresses. Kevin has had a complicated past and is struggling with trying to find a way to leave it all behind him. Through his work he meets many women and from that tries dating a few of them, always looking for a woman he can love, enabling him to forget the women who have rejected him in the past. He does not have much luck though, always seeming to add to the list of women he wants to forget instead of finding one who will stay with him. His assistant in the studio, Jamie (Lindsay Beamish), is enamoured with Kevin but keeps her feelings to herself as she is not the most confident person either. As the list of women to forget gets longer and longer, Kevin gets more and more desperate to find a way to move on and leave his past behind, but it may be more difficult than he ever imagined.
I was genuinely surprised by Forgetting the Girl. With the vast majority of independent films like this, there seems to always be one element that does not work whether it is a good looking film with subpar acting or great actors in a badly put together or badly edited film. Or worse yet a good looking film with decent actors and a predictable and typical story. Lucky for me and anyone else who watched Forgetting the Girl, all the elements come together beautifully in Forgetting the Girl. Nate Taylor shows great skill and confidence in the direction, handling the shots in such a way that you feel he has been doing this much longer than he actually has. The look of the film is stunning with gritty, real New York locations that harken back to the streets of New York in the heyday of 70s filmmaking. Taylor seems to have somehow found places in the city that still retain that feel that was so omnipresent in the films of Scorsese, Lumet, Coppola and others in the 70s. The city is a character unto itself and is photographed with a rich style that bathes it in authenticity. The story by Peter Moore Smith was also a surprise. You might assume in the first part of the film where it is going to go, and it may even go there from time to time, but it is handled with a brisk but methodical pace that takes its time to unfold. The characters are engaging and interesting and their arcs are not contrived but fascinating. While all the acting in Forgetting the Girl is above average for a low budget independent film, the real standout is lead actor Christopher Denham. Denham has been around for a while with his most notable roles in Shutter Island and Charlie Wilson’s War, but in Forgetting the Girl he really shows us what he is capable of. More than a typical indie performance, Denham has a screen presence that is palpable. The more you watch him, the more you think “I MUST have seen this guy in something else.” He is charismatic and intriguing, with subtle facial expressions that convey much more than what his character is actually doing. His portrayal of Kevin is multilayered and complex, a portrait of a man in an intense struggle with his own feelings and thoughts. It is a stunning performance and hopefully one that will make other filmmakers stand up and take notice giving Denham the opportunity to show us more in the future.
Forgetting the Girl is a very tight, very good looking, very well acted and intimate thriller-drama that is an examination of a man and his battle with his own psyche. An impressive directorial debut by Nate Taylor, I hope that people notice this film and the talents of its director and star. Forgetting the Girl debuts at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose California on March 2, 2012.
