Forgotten Island
Forgotten Island
Starring H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate
Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado
In the Philippines in the 1990s, Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) have been best friends since they were young, and now they're both graduating high school. Their time has been marked by the memories they've shared, which are tangible with their shared bracelets that include a memento of each event. They've been joined at the hip since childhood, but now things are taking a turn as Raissa tells Jo she's moving to California to attend college, leaving Jo behind because Raissa sees her as someone who doesn't really have a future because of her free-spirited nature and lack of desire to accomplish anything.
On their last night before Raissa leaves, the girls find a magic shell that Jo's grandmother told them about years earlier, opening a portal to a new world called Nakali, which the friends have been searching for their whole lives. They arrive on the island and instantly forget the first twelve hours they were there, and when they come to they're greeted by Raww (Dave Franco), a were-aspin who claims they had the best night of their lives. While Jo is loving the new adventure, Raissa wants to get back home so she won't miss her flight, and the friends embark on a journey to retrace their steps from the night before and find the shell to bring them back home.
"Forgotten Island" is essentially "The Hangover" for children. The majority of the film is spent with Jo and Raissa using photographs and Raww's memory to find out what happened the night before, as not only is the shell missing, but Raissa has half her hair gone and has also adopted a set of sentient wings that belong to the villainous Manang (Lea Salonga) who is hunting them down to get them back. They travel from town to town to remember the night's events, and Raissa grows more and more impatient, worried that she'll lose her chance to make something of herself, while Jo is relishing the experience and wants Raissa to calm down. Opposites attract, and that's what these two women are - polar opposites. Jo never really did well in school and is comfortable working dead-end jobs, while Raissa is the more calculated of the two, smarter, and who sees going to Caltech as a way to make something of herself - and you can tell where this is heading, as this is also something that many friends in the real world deal with: the eventual parting of ways. Most of us had ride or dies in high school and during those youthful days we never thought we'd say goodbye, but there comes a time where you have to, and that's the struggle Jo and Raissa are facing in this beautiful new world.
The trailer is a bit misleading in that it seems that the longer they're on the island, the more memories they'll forget, but that's not the case in the movie. In order to make it home, they will have to sacrifice memories, which leads to them fighting over whether or not to do it. They both want to keep their memories, but feel more and more that they might have to give them up to make it back home. It's a struggle that both girls go through in different ways - Raissa is more vocal about it (honestly, the only downside of the film is her repetitious dialogue), and Jo is internalizing it more than letting it out, not wanting to let go of her past. It's honestly a poignant, moving tale about the power of the history of friendship and the significance of the shared memories we make with the people we love.
The animation in this film is above reproach, a unique visual style that's a mix of Japanese anime, Miyazaki landscapes, and Filipino art mixed with 1990s graphic designs. There wasn't a moment where I wasn't enthralled in the visuals, and the vocal performances and music set the auditory senses ablaze as well. H.E.R. excels as Jo, the free-spirit who also has fears and doubts that plague her, but she chooses to hide them in favor of having a more entertaining exterior, while Liza Soberano lets her frustrations and fears out in the open. Dave Franco is a standout as Raww, Jenny Slate as the mysterious Batiba, and Lea Salonga is terrifying as Manang - but the story is much more deeper than these characters' personalities, as numerous twists and turns keep you riveted.
Blending awe-inspiring animation, tremendous vocal performances, and a great blend of comedy and heart, "Forgotten Island" will be one of those movies you'll never forget, showcasing the power of shared memories.
The Score: A+
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