Remember

About Remember

Remember is a 2015 drama-thriller film directed by Atom Egoyan and written by Benjamin August. It tells us a tale of an elderly Holocaust survivor with dementia who sets out to kill a Nazi war criminal. Zev Guttman (Christopher Plummer), escaping from his nursing home, embarks on a cross-continental journey to find and execute the Nazi officer responsible for killing his family during WWII, only to find unexpected discoveries.

Making / Production

The film is a Canadian-German collaboration. It had its world premiere at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, and was released theatrically in Canada on October 23, 2015, and in Germany on January 14, 2016. The production was filmed on location in Ontario, Canada, and in several places in the United States.

Actors

• Christopher Plummer as Zev Guttman - Christopher Plummer plays the lead role with grace and subtlety, making us feel the weight of the past on the character's present.
• Martin Landau as Max Rosenbaum - Martin Landau portrays Guttman's friend and fellow nursing-home resident, who sends him on his mission.
• Dean Norris as John Kurlander - Norris plays the role of a police officer who gets tangled in Zev's mission.
• Henry Czerny as Charles Guttman - Czerny plays a vital role as Zev's son, who tries to facilitate his father's life at the nursing home.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The title "Remember" is a nod to the phrase "Remember the Holocaust," a common exhortation in discussions about the Holocaust.
• Despite his character having dementia, Christopher Plummer was 85 years old at the time of filming and did not use any cue cards or hand-held prompts during his scenes.
• "Remember" is director Atom Egoyan's second film dealing with the theme of the Holocaust, the first being "Ararat" (2002).

Awards

While the film wasn't a prominent contender at the major awards, it garnered critical acclaim, particularly for Christopher Plummer's stirring performance. He won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor for his role.

Quotes

• “I must finish this. For your father. For your grandfather. And for me.” – Zev
• “It's never goodbye. It's just 'see you later'." – Max
• “Do I look like a murderer?!” – John Kurlander

Music, Soundtrack

• The soundtrack's hauntingly sparse compositions were crafted by Mychael Danna, a frequent collaborator of Egoyan.
• The soundtrack received critical acclaim for its minimalistic yet haunting approach, perfectly complimenting the film's tense narrative.