Not Forgotten (film)
Encyclopedia
Not Forgotten is a 2009 independent
thriller written and directed by Dror Soref
starring Simon Baker
and Paz Vega
. The film takes place on the Texas-Mexico border and tells the story of a kidnapping plot involving the ritualistic cult Santa Muerte
. The protagonist Jack Bishop's (Simon Baker
) dark past is slowly uncovered as the kidnapping case unravels.
) works as a loan officer in Del Rio
, Texas
and is remarried to Amaya Bishop (Paz Vega
), living with her and his daughter Toby Bishop (Chloe Moretz
) from his first marriage. Toby is kidnapped by an unknown perpetrator leading to the involvement of the local police and eventually the FBI. The FBI begins inquiring in Jack's past only to find out he has no official records dating back farther than ten years, and there is no evidence showing how his first wife had died or where she was buried.
A local petty criminal and repeated sex offender is initially thought to be the culprit, but it is revealed that the dangerous cult-like religious movement Santa Muerte
, popular with in Mexican criminal circles, might be involved. Jack's former life as a Santa Muerte
worshiping hit man for the Mexican mafia is revealed as he tries desperately to find out who kidnapped his daughter. We later learn that Jack was really named Roberto. Though born in Oklahoma, his drug addicted mother took him to Mexico when she was young. She later died, and Roberto had to make a life for himself on the streets. He ultimately became an enforcer for the Mexican mafia. He married a woman named Katie, and they had a child, Toby. Jack escapes from the FBI in Texas and makes his way across the border to Acuna. There he is accused of murdering a prostitute who was trying to help him find Toby. Though he did not do it, the Mexican police arrest him. Jack is later able to escape from the Mexican jail in disguise. Still in Acuna, he makes his presence known. As he planned, he lured the assassin who was looking for him to come to his hotel. They fight and Jack beats the assassin, who he then tortures for information about Toby's whereabouts. The assassin tells Jack that Toby was kidnapped by Katie, Jack's/Roberto's ex-wife. Jack breaks into the brothel that Katie now runs in Acuna and confronts Katie, who is herself furious that Jack/Roberto ran out on her without warning and took Toby with him. Jack thinks Katie is lying when she says she does not know where Toby is, and murders her.
In the film's denouement, we realize that the real kidnapper was Jack's new wife, Amaya, with the help of her cousin, the Sheriff in Del Rio (who throughout the film appeared as if he was trying to help Jack and that he believed Jack's innocence). We learn that the flashback we have seen throughout the film -- of Jack/Roberto strangling a man at Katie's behest as she looks on in delight -- has new meaning. The man Roberto strangled was Amaya's father. Worse still, Amaya was in the room with Roberto and Katie when they strangled her father, hiding under the bed. Amaya's father was a degenerate gambler who owed a large debt to Katie and the Mexican Mob, and when he could not pay, Katie had Roberto kill him. Amaya witnessed all of this. We realize that she then set in motion an elaborate plan to emigrate to the United States and marry Jack/Roberto in order to punish him for murdering her father. It was Amaya and the Sheriff who kidnapped Toby. Amaya and the Sheriff set fire to the room where Jack is (the same room where he killed Amaya's father many years ago). But Jack is able to see that Toby is tied up on the bed in the room. He manages to free her and they escape the fire unhurt.
The viewer thinks this is the end of the movie and that it has a happy ending. But we then learn, in a final twist, the truth. Amaya did not really kidnap Toby. When Amaya explained to Toby who her father really was, Amaya was able to enlist Toby (using the magic of Santa Muerte) to help exact an even worse revenge on Jack/Roberto. Amaya tells Toby that her father will kill her mother (which in fact happened earlier when Jack was duped by the assassin he tortured into killing Katie to find Toby). Amaya told Toby that Santa Muerte magic would give her the strength to carry out a terrible revenge on her father for that murder. So Amaya purposefully let Jack and Toby escape. Her plan was for them to live happily for many years and then for Toby to kill her father. In the final scene, we see Jack and Toby fleeing deeper into Mexico on an old bus. As she sits and watches the countryside go by, we hear Toby reciting the same Santa Muerta chant for power that others (including Jack) said throughout the movie.
, who was cast just before his great success with the hit TV show The Mentalist
, Paz Vega
who was previously known for her work as the star of Sex and Lucia & the co-star of Spanglish
and Michael DeLorenzo
, who played a lead role as Detective Eddie Torres in the hit TV show New York Undercover
.
and commercial
director, working in the same company alongside such directors as Wim Wenders
, Carroll Ballard
, Jean-Pierre Jeunet
and Bruce Beresford
before beginning to transition into features.
took place over the course of 28 days in New Mexico
with three days of shooting on location in the outskirts of Mexico City
and two days of insert pickups in Los Angeles
. Several key cast and crew members came from Austin, Texas including the art director
Ed Vega.
In early 2009, Soref completed final post-production on Not Forgotten.
, Not Forgotten was picked up for US distribution. The film was notable for being the only entry picked up for US theatrical distribution from that year. In April 2009, Anchor Bay Films
acquired the distribution rights to the movie. The film debuted in a regional premiere Austin
, Texas
and officially opened at the famous Mann's Chinese Theatre 6 in Los Angeles
on May 15, 2009.
stated the film "satisfies as a solidly crafted and persuasively acted thriller that relies more on dark secrets than black magic" while The Hollywood Reporter
commented, "Not Forgotten reminds you of a paperback you pick up at the airport...where the cover promises a pulp-ish combination of suspense, murder and...the story is so engrossing, you wish the flight were longer".
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
thriller written and directed by Dror Soref
Dror Soref
Dror Soref is a filmmaker who started his career directing music videos for a young "Weird Al" Yankovic in 1983, shortly after attending USC Film School. Soref later directed Platinum Blonde, an inspirational short film that landed him a Housekeeping Deal at Paramount Studios...
starring Simon Baker
Simon Baker
Simon Baker is an Australian actor. Since 2008, he has starred in the CBS television series The Mentalist.-Early life:...
and Paz Vega
Paz Vega
Paz Campos Trigo , better known as Paz Vega, is a Spanish actress.- Early life :Vega was born in Seville, Andalusia, Spain to a homemaker mother and a retired bullfighter father. Vega's younger sister has performed as a flamenco dancer. Vega has described her family as "traditional" and Catholic....
. The film takes place on the Texas-Mexico border and tells the story of a kidnapping plot involving the ritualistic cult Santa Muerte
Santa Muerte
Santa Muerte is a sacred figure venerated in Mexico, probably a syncretism between Mesoamerican and Catholic beliefs. The name literally translates to "Holy Death" or "Saint Death." Mexican culture since the pre-Columbian era has maintained a certain reverence towards death, which can be seen in...
. The protagonist Jack Bishop's (Simon Baker
Simon Baker
Simon Baker is an Australian actor. Since 2008, he has starred in the CBS television series The Mentalist.-Early life:...
) dark past is slowly uncovered as the kidnapping case unravels.
Plot
Jack Bishop (Simon BakerSimon Baker
Simon Baker is an Australian actor. Since 2008, he has starred in the CBS television series The Mentalist.-Early life:...
) works as a loan officer in Del Rio
Del Rio, Texas
Del Rio is a border city in and the county seat of Val Verde County, Texas, United States.. Del Rio is connected with Ciudad Acuña via the Lake Amistad Dam International Crossing and Del Río-Ciudad Acuña International Bridge...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and is remarried to Amaya Bishop (Paz Vega
Paz Vega
Paz Campos Trigo , better known as Paz Vega, is a Spanish actress.- Early life :Vega was born in Seville, Andalusia, Spain to a homemaker mother and a retired bullfighter father. Vega's younger sister has performed as a flamenco dancer. Vega has described her family as "traditional" and Catholic....
), living with her and his daughter Toby Bishop (Chloe Moretz
Chloe Moretz
Chloë Grace Moretz is an American actress, known for her role as Hit-Girl in the 2010 superhero film Kick-Ass. She also appeared in The Amityville Horror, Days of Summer, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Hugo, and portrayed Abby, the child vampire, in Let Me In.-Personal life:Moretz was born in Atlanta,...
) from his first marriage. Toby is kidnapped by an unknown perpetrator leading to the involvement of the local police and eventually the FBI. The FBI begins inquiring in Jack's past only to find out he has no official records dating back farther than ten years, and there is no evidence showing how his first wife had died or where she was buried.
A local petty criminal and repeated sex offender is initially thought to be the culprit, but it is revealed that the dangerous cult-like religious movement Santa Muerte
Santa Muerte
Santa Muerte is a sacred figure venerated in Mexico, probably a syncretism between Mesoamerican and Catholic beliefs. The name literally translates to "Holy Death" or "Saint Death." Mexican culture since the pre-Columbian era has maintained a certain reverence towards death, which can be seen in...
, popular with in Mexican criminal circles, might be involved. Jack's former life as a Santa Muerte
Santa Muerte
Santa Muerte is a sacred figure venerated in Mexico, probably a syncretism between Mesoamerican and Catholic beliefs. The name literally translates to "Holy Death" or "Saint Death." Mexican culture since the pre-Columbian era has maintained a certain reverence towards death, which can be seen in...
worshiping hit man for the Mexican mafia is revealed as he tries desperately to find out who kidnapped his daughter. We later learn that Jack was really named Roberto. Though born in Oklahoma, his drug addicted mother took him to Mexico when she was young. She later died, and Roberto had to make a life for himself on the streets. He ultimately became an enforcer for the Mexican mafia. He married a woman named Katie, and they had a child, Toby. Jack escapes from the FBI in Texas and makes his way across the border to Acuna. There he is accused of murdering a prostitute who was trying to help him find Toby. Though he did not do it, the Mexican police arrest him. Jack is later able to escape from the Mexican jail in disguise. Still in Acuna, he makes his presence known. As he planned, he lured the assassin who was looking for him to come to his hotel. They fight and Jack beats the assassin, who he then tortures for information about Toby's whereabouts. The assassin tells Jack that Toby was kidnapped by Katie, Jack's/Roberto's ex-wife. Jack breaks into the brothel that Katie now runs in Acuna and confronts Katie, who is herself furious that Jack/Roberto ran out on her without warning and took Toby with him. Jack thinks Katie is lying when she says she does not know where Toby is, and murders her.
In the film's denouement, we realize that the real kidnapper was Jack's new wife, Amaya, with the help of her cousin, the Sheriff in Del Rio (who throughout the film appeared as if he was trying to help Jack and that he believed Jack's innocence). We learn that the flashback we have seen throughout the film -- of Jack/Roberto strangling a man at Katie's behest as she looks on in delight -- has new meaning. The man Roberto strangled was Amaya's father. Worse still, Amaya was in the room with Roberto and Katie when they strangled her father, hiding under the bed. Amaya's father was a degenerate gambler who owed a large debt to Katie and the Mexican Mob, and when he could not pay, Katie had Roberto kill him. Amaya witnessed all of this. We realize that she then set in motion an elaborate plan to emigrate to the United States and marry Jack/Roberto in order to punish him for murdering her father. It was Amaya and the Sheriff who kidnapped Toby. Amaya and the Sheriff set fire to the room where Jack is (the same room where he killed Amaya's father many years ago). But Jack is able to see that Toby is tied up on the bed in the room. He manages to free her and they escape the fire unhurt.
The viewer thinks this is the end of the movie and that it has a happy ending. But we then learn, in a final twist, the truth. Amaya did not really kidnap Toby. When Amaya explained to Toby who her father really was, Amaya was able to enlist Toby (using the magic of Santa Muerte) to help exact an even worse revenge on Jack/Roberto. Amaya tells Toby that her father will kill her mother (which in fact happened earlier when Jack was duped by the assassin he tortured into killing Katie to find Toby). Amaya told Toby that Santa Muerte magic would give her the strength to carry out a terrible revenge on her father for that murder. So Amaya purposefully let Jack and Toby escape. Her plan was for them to live happily for many years and then for Toby to kill her father. In the final scene, we see Jack and Toby fleeing deeper into Mexico on an old bus. As she sits and watches the countryside go by, we hear Toby reciting the same Santa Muerta chant for power that others (including Jack) said throughout the movie.
Cast
The film stars Simon BakerSimon Baker
Simon Baker is an Australian actor. Since 2008, he has starred in the CBS television series The Mentalist.-Early life:...
, who was cast just before his great success with the hit TV show The Mentalist
The Mentalist
The Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer...
, Paz Vega
Paz Vega
Paz Campos Trigo , better known as Paz Vega, is a Spanish actress.- Early life :Vega was born in Seville, Andalusia, Spain to a homemaker mother and a retired bullfighter father. Vega's younger sister has performed as a flamenco dancer. Vega has described her family as "traditional" and Catholic....
who was previously known for her work as the star of Sex and Lucia & the co-star of Spanglish
Spanglish
.Spanglish refers to the blend of Spanish and English, in the speech of people who speak parts of two languages, or whose normal language is different from that of the country where they live. The Hispanic population of the United States and the British population in Argentina use varieties of...
and Michael DeLorenzo
Michael DeLorenzo
Michael DeLorenzo is an American actor, director and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of NYPD Detective Eddie Torres on the Fox Thursday night television series New York Undercover which was aired from 1994-1998....
, who played a lead role as Detective Eddie Torres in the hit TV show New York Undercover
New York Undercover
New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the FOX television network from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's 4th Precinct who were assigned to...
.
- Simon BakerSimon BakerSimon Baker is an Australian actor. Since 2008, he has starred in the CBS television series The Mentalist.-Early life:...
as Jack Bishop. Baker was personally cast by the director Dror Soref for the lead role after the director had seen his previous work in film and in television. Soref met with Baker before starting pre-production to go over the script line by line, including all of the actions to get a better feel for the role. - Paz VegaPaz VegaPaz Campos Trigo , better known as Paz Vega, is a Spanish actress.- Early life :Vega was born in Seville, Andalusia, Spain to a homemaker mother and a retired bullfighter father. Vega's younger sister has performed as a flamenco dancer. Vega has described her family as "traditional" and Catholic....
as Amaya Bishop - Chloe MoretzChloe MoretzChloë Grace Moretz is an American actress, known for her role as Hit-Girl in the 2010 superhero film Kick-Ass. She also appeared in The Amityville Horror, Days of Summer, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Hugo, and portrayed Abby, the child vampire, in Let Me In.-Personal life:Moretz was born in Atlanta,...
as Toby Bishop - Claire ForlaniClaire ForlaniClaire Antonia Forlani is an English actress.-Early life:Claire Forlani was born in Twickenham, London, the daughter of Barbara , who was English, and Pierluigi Forlani, a music manager from Ferrara, Italy. At the age of 11, Forlani entered the Arts Educational School in London, where she began to...
as Katie - Michael DeLorenzoMichael DeLorenzoMichael DeLorenzo is an American actor, director and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of NYPD Detective Eddie Torres on the Fox Thursday night television series New York Undercover which was aired from 1994-1998....
as Casper Navarro - Ken DavitianKen DavitianKenneth "Ken" Davitian is an American actor who is best known for his role as Borat's producer in the 2006 comedy film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, in which he speaks the Eastern dialect of Armenian throughout the film.-Life and...
as Father Salinas - Julia Vera as Doña
- Virginia Periera as Karen De La Rosa
Development
The director began research on the film in 2004 by visiting, with co-writer Tomas Romero, the towns of Del Rio and Acuna, straddling the Texas-Mexican border. Soref had a prolific career as a music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
and commercial
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
director, working in the same company alongside such directors as Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer.-Early life:Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. He graduated from high school in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area. He then studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and Düsseldorf...
, Carroll Ballard
Carroll Ballard
-Biography:Carroll Ballard started out making documentaries for the U.S. Information Agency, Beyond This Winter's Wheat and Harvest ; the latter was nominated for an Academy Award...
, Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
-Life and career:Jean-Pierre Jeunet was born in Roanne, Loire, France. He bought his first camera at the age of 17 and made short films while studying animation at Cinémation Studios. He befriended Marc Caro, a designer and comic book artist who became his longtime collaborator and...
and Bruce Beresford
Bruce Beresford
Bruce Beresford is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 40-year career.-Early life:...
before beginning to transition into features.
Production
Principal photographyPrincipal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
took place over the course of 28 days in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
with three days of shooting on location in the outskirts of Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
and two days of insert pickups in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Several key cast and crew members came from Austin, Texas including the art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
Ed Vega.
In early 2009, Soref completed final post-production on Not Forgotten.
Distribution
As a result of the film's critical acclaim at the 2009 Slamdance Film FestivalSlamdance Film Festival
As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...
, Not Forgotten was picked up for US distribution. The film was notable for being the only entry picked up for US theatrical distribution from that year. In April 2009, Anchor Bay Films
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
acquired the distribution rights to the movie. The film debuted in a regional premiere Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and officially opened at the famous Mann's Chinese Theatre 6 in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on May 15, 2009.
Reception
The film has received generally negative reviews in the mainstream press. However, VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
stated the film "satisfies as a solidly crafted and persuasively acted thriller that relies more on dark secrets than black magic" while The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
commented, "Not Forgotten reminds you of a paperback you pick up at the airport...where the cover promises a pulp-ish combination of suspense, murder and...the story is so engrossing, you wish the flight were longer".