Forgetting the Girl starts out like a romantic comedy about a quirky but appealing guy with some emotional issues, and then sucker punches the audience by revealing itself in the final 15 minutes to be a horror film. The abrupt change of pace is both a strength and weakness of the film.
This is the first feature from director Nate Taylor, from a story by Peter Moore Smith. I understand that the sudden, explosive violence is supposed to rock the viewer, but I think that I would have enjoyed the film more if the early tone had better prepared me for the darkness to follow. Instead, the early part is too much Guy Meets Girl, etc. Taylor then lingers too long on the episodes of horror at the end. Taylor might benefit from screening Michael Powell’s disturbing horror classic Peeping Tom a few times more to improve the pacing.
Taylor does an excellent job with a red herring in the plot, and shows real promise at producing creepiness and tension.
I saw Forgetting the Girl at its world premiere at Cinequest 22, with the audience packed with friends and family of the filmmakers. This audience responded more enthusiastically than I think most will.