You are here:

Forget Me Not

Name: Forget Me Not
Director: David Sieveking
Released: 2013
Duration: 88 min

Representation Score

7.7/10

Good

2013

Director

David Sieveking

Runtime

88 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Forget Me Not is a deeply personal documentary that humanizes the clinical reality of dementia. It goes beyond the tragedy of neurodegenerative decline to explore the complexities of unconventional family bonds and personal identity. The film's greatest strength lies in its dignified portrayal of cognitive disability, highlighting the subject's wit and ability to act. It also offers a nuanced look at non-traditional domestic relationships, challenging standard social expectations. However, the film remains confined to a narrow demographic focus. The absence of racial and ethnic diversity keeps the narrative localized within a specific European cultural context.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Forget Me Not have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film examines non-traditional relationships through the parents' lifelong open relationship, which fosters mutual respect and challenges typical expectations of monogamy.

How does Forget Me Not portray gender?

Good

Gretel is shown with intellectual resilience and a strong sense of self, rather than as a passive patient. Her enduring personality and charm are highlighted even as she faces cognitive decline.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Forget Me Not?

Limited

The film focuses on a homogeneous European family structure and lacks significant racial diversity or characters who reflect more than one aspect of diversity within its cultural setting.

How does Forget Me Not represent religion and culture?

Good

The documentary presents a progressive, secular perspective that emphasizes individual experiences over religious doctrine. It questions traditional Western institutional norms and conventional family structures.

Does Forget Me Not include disability representation?

Excellent

The film portrays Alzheimer's without sensationalism or inspirational clichés. It respects the lived experience of memory loss with dignity, focusing on the authentic realities of caregiving.

Present on Screen

Dignified and empowering portrayal of cognitive disability and Alzheimer's.
Sophisticated exploration of non-traditional domestic relationships.
Avoids medical clichés by emphasizing the subject's personality and wit.

Limited or Absent

Lacks significant racial and ethnic diversity.
Focuses on a relatively homogeneous European cultural milieu.

Official Synopsis

David Sieveking left home years ago to make films. Now he has returned – and for a reason: To help his mother, Gretel, who has Alzheimer’s, and relieve her long-time carer and his father Malte for a few weeks. The filmmaker takes on the role of carer and documents this encounter with his camera. Gretel no longer knows the people around her, but her puns and charm have not faded. The time spent with his mother becomes a journey into David’s unexpected family history. Once active in Zurich’s left-wing scene, David’s parents enjoyed a lifelong “open relationship”, characterised by a loving distance and mutual respect. VERGISS MEIN NICHT is a film about dementia, but it’s first and foremost a declaration of a love of life and family.

How are these scores produced? →