Who am I? Movie Amnesia
The incidence of amnesia amongst movie characters is far greater than that of the 'real-life' population, but then that goes for murders and crazy scrapes too. If movies are about telling stories - and let’s hope they are - then getting amnesia is a pretty darn good story.
Film Amnesia represents a loss of self; complete collapse of the ego. The character is a naive and vulnerable newborn, learning right from wrong all over again, either for comic ('Finding Nemo') or tragic ('Memento') effect. Consequently some of cinema's most interesting, funny, intriguing, exciting and enchanting stories have started with the proverbial bump on the head. 'Memento', 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', 'A Very Long Engagement' and the brutal, 'The Machinist' spring to recent mind; but what about, 'Paris, Texas', 'Angel Heart', Hitchcock's 'Spellbound', 'The English Patient', 'Robocop' even the 1987 Kurt and Goldie comedy classic, 'Overboard'.
Scroll down and check out some of these unforgettable titles…
Pictured: Ronald Colman tries hard to remember Greer Garson in 'Random Harvest'
The Forgotten (2004)
5.8/10
Director: Joseph Ruben
Starring: Julianne Moore, Dominic West, Gary Sinise, Alfre Woodard, Linus Roache, Anthony...
Nine-year-old Sam Paretta is dead, killed in a plane crash. Even though it's been fourteen months since the accident, his mother, Telly (Julianne Moor... Read more
Delta State: Volume 3 (2004)
7.7/10
Director: Pascal David, Wayne Moss
The Rifter apocalypse has begun...the series continues with four more episodes: 'Mind Over Matter'; 'Blast from the Past'; 'Curse of the Undead' and '... Read more
Delta State: Volume 2 (2004)
7.7/10
Director: Pascal David, Wayne Moss
Claire, Luna, Philip and Martin continue their battle against the Rifters on all fronts. They have infiltrated politics, video games, they are influe... Read more
Delta State: Volume 1 (2004)
7.7/10
Director: Pascal David, Wayne Moss
Based on a comic book this Canadian animated series features four amnesiacs who can enter the 'Delta State', an ethereal realm where they must piece t... Read more
Spider Forest (2004)
6.6/10
Director: Song Il-gon
Starring: Woo-seong Kam, Jung Suh, Kyeong-heon Kang, Hyeong-seong Jang, Byung-ho Son
TV journalist Kang Min wakes up in a reputedly haunted forest and finds a gruesome murder scene nearby. He gives chase to the perpetrator but loses hi... Read more
The Jacket (2004)
7.1/10
Director: John Maybury
Starring: Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Kris Kristofferson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kelly L...
A relentlessly stylish whodunit with Adrien Brody as delusional Gulf War vet, Jack Stark, who winds up in a mental hospital run by the brutal Dr Becke... Read more
The Ghost ( aka Dead Friends ) (2004)
7.1/10
Director: Tae-gyun Kim
Starring: Ha-Nuel Kim, Nam Sang-mi, Bin , Yi Shin
Ji-won (Kim Ha-Neul) is a bright young student with a promising future, but her past is a blank beyond a mysterious incident from some time ago. Hard... Read more
The Machinist (2004)
7.7/10
Director: Brad Anderson
Starring: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, John Sharian, Michae...
Trevor (Christian Bale) hasn't slept in a year. The shocking deterioration of his physical and mental health makes every waking moment an unrelenting... Read more
A Very Long Engagement (2004)
7.7/10
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Jean-Pierre Becker, Dominique Bettenfeld, Clovis...
In 1919, Mathilde (Audrey Tautou) was 19 years old. Two years earlier, her fiance Manech (Gaspard Ulliel) left for the front at the Somme. Like millio... Read more
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
6.6/10
Director: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight, Kimberly Elise, Jef...
This dazzling update of the classic 1962 political thriller stars Denzel Washington as a former army major plagued by shadowy dreams of his service du... Read more