THE FORGOTTEN by Oliver Frampton
Is Ken Loach a scrip writer’s best friend or are English directors in love with social dramas? In The Forgotten, 14-year old Tommy is having everything but the time of his life. His depressed mum, who fills her days swallowing pills, sends Tommy to his irresponsible and chaotic dad. His never present progenitor doesn’t exactly welcome him with open arms in his dank and humid apartment. While dad is busy stealing the neighborhood blind, Tommy tries to do some homework. So far this sounds like your typical 90ties social drama fare, but, lucky for us, Tommy hears some strange noises from the adjacent apartment. Dad tries to reassure him that he’s all alone in the flat and that there’s no reason to be scared. His advice doesn’t really help, especially when Tommy discovers that all his stuff has changed place.
Oliver Frampton’s first long feature might be a full blooded horror flick, that doesn’t mean that he denounces his roots. Coming from the small screen, he transports his favorite theme of decrepit council flat life from the TV-series The Bill and turns it into creepy social horror.