When I first saw the trailer for Joseph Ruben’s “The Forgotten” I thought, “they just gave away the whole movie.” Most of the time when that happens, I really have no desire to see the movie at length, since I just saw the best parts in 60 seconds. Oddly, though, I was still interested in seeing “The Forgotten” based on two gut-feelings. First, I have the utmost respect for Julianne Moore and figure she couldn’t have chosen to do a film that would be spoiled that quickly in a trailer. Secondly, that there was more to the story and that maybe, just maybe, the trailer was meant to be misleading; not quite M. Knight Shyamalan material, but one can hope for some good twists. While not “The Sixth Sense,” “The Forgotten” is visually awakening at times and will keep you guessing and looking for clues to the mystery. Unfortunately, by the end it’s not all that mysterious, but I will admit that I have never jumped so high during a movie before, and this film got me twice.

In the story, Telly Paretta (Julianne Moore) lives in New York and lost her son Sam in a plane crash 14 months ago as he was flying away to camp. While she has struggled with the loss and thinks she’s gaining ground, suddenly photos start to change, removing her son’s image, or they even disappear altogether. As she breaks down, her husband Jim (Anthony Edwards) and her psychiatrist Dr. Munce (Gary Sinise) tell her that she is suffering from “paramnesia:” she never had a son and made him up in her mind to cope with the loss of a miscarriage. Not believing them, she runs away and enlists the help of Ash (Dominic West), another parent who lost his daughter in the plane crash, to find the truth about their children. When a New York detective (Alfre Woodard) picks up on the case, the National Security Agency has something to say about any of them finding the truth. With the government trying to protect a secret, Telly and Ash realize there really is “something out there.” What follows is an interesting journey as they attempt to find their lost children.

The story is suspenseful and has a nice pace, as Telly races against time to either find her son, or figure out that she really is crazy. As Telly, Julianne Moore has a rather grief-stricken look to her throughout the film, and is enjoyable to watch as she scrambles through her scenes. Her slender frame underscores her powerful drive to find her child (and prove she’s sane), but she slides into the role nicely. The ease at which she can shed tears is a little much, but I guess a parent losing a child (and their sanity) could crumble even the strongest façade, so it’s understandable.

The most delightful role in the film is Alfre Woodard as Detective Pope. Straight-faced even while delivering street-cop one-liners, she brings a nice levity to the film, although we don’t get to learn much about her or her background. In fact, this is prevalent in all of the characters in the film. Even though the central character is Telly and we know what drives her, giving us more of a connection with some of the other characters might give us an emotional tie and comprehend where they are coming from. “Loss” and “desire” are strong emotional ties to pull us into Telly and Ash’s world, but not strong enough. Director Joseph Ruben may think that flashbacks to the day of the plane crash are enough for Telly, but Ash is just along for the ride and Anthony Edward’s role as Telly’s husband may as well be ‘forgotten.’

The movie overall was enjoyable, in an “X-Files” sort-of-way, and thankfully there is just a tad bit more to the story to keep it interesting. So, my gut instincts were 50% correct on each count. If anything, the trailer really is misleading in the way it looks as though Telly slowly loses her son over the course of the film, but it starts off with Sam already being gone, and doesn’t stop there. It’s a nice pace and keeps you guessing for what’s coming around the corner. When the end comes, it is a bit convoluted and asks the audience to make some pretty wide assumptions, but it ties most of the important loose ends together. Don’t go in expecting too much, and make sure you watch that tub of popcorn in your lap when you jump as high as I did.