Forget-Me-Not - DVD

Film: Margaret (Sophie Marceau) is a real career woman. Big emotions are taboo for her, even her relationship with her colleague Malcolm (Marton Csokas) is based on her professional success. But then Margaret gets a visit on her 40th birthday from an old notary who hands her a letter Margaret wrote to herself 33 years ago, when she was still called Margeruite and grew up in a small village. What initially elicits little emotion from the full-blooded manager soon becomes an exciting journey into her own past. For one by one Margaret receives nine letters from herself, in which she is confronted with her wishes, her dreams and her imagination. And soon she asks herself whether it wouldn't be worth it, even at 40, to think, dream and act like a child again...

Following the original love story Love Me If You Dare and his Hollywood detour with the remake My sassy girl, Yann Samuell remains true to his style with Forget Me Not. He tells an endearingly naïve story, which he has wrapped up in a playful visual language. The dream sequences and memory snippets are imaginative, colourful and - even if no longer truly original - still pleasantly unconventional. Sophie Marceau plays the transformation from ice-cold career woman to dreamer with obvious fun, and even if her acting seems a bit over-the-top and chaotic at times, it always fits into the scenery Samuell has created here.

As with Love Me If You Dare, Forget Me Not is about adult relationships with childhood, the preservation of the ability to dream like a child and follow those dreams, and how much we as adults are shaped by our childhood. However, Samuell had staged this much more wickedly in Love Me If You Dare, which also gave the film a bit more bite. ForgetmeNot, on the other hand, just seems playful and extremely cheesy, especially towards the end.

And that's exactly what might make it hard for many viewers to warm up to what is, in itself, a very charming trip of self-discovery. For those who don't necessarily have a soft spot for unrestrained kitsch, childishly naïve imagery and French comedies with a high languor factor are more likely to turn off the TV with a shock of sugar than with a smile on their face. But those who are still in touch with the child within themselves will definitely enjoy this film. Superficial, colorful, and well-behaved - yet simply beautiful. And that is exactly what makes this film then well worth watching!

Picture + Sound: The colorful dream sequences are also colorfully staged on the DVD. Overall, the picture is clean and the sharpness level is on a good level. The sound remains rather decent in many moments, here and there well used ambient noises and smaller sound effects provide a nice atmosphere. Good!

Extras: The DVD has a nearly 10-minute making of, a look at the shooting in the picturesque village and some cut scenes to offer. However, these extras are only available in the original French sound without subtitle option, which is why only viewers who are proficient in French can enjoy these nice additions. Otherwise, there is only a trailer show of the provider for all viewers.

Conclusion: Vergissmichnicht is a nice fairy tale that can score with its unrestrained kitschy imagery and a good-humored leading actress. The DVD is technically well realized, but the bonus material is only available in the original French soundtrack without subtitles. For all hopeless romantics: thoroughly recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp