This elegant short film is set in London and the story follows a couple of lovers over a period of years, between 1996 and the beginning of the new millennium. Split in three chapters, simply named One, Two and Three, it describes the disintegrating love affair between two young expatriates, a Malaysian Chinese and a Chinese Mainlander.

Pang Liong (Kelvin Yeoh) and Lei (Shen Yilei) work respectively as a kitchen porter and cleaner in a London restaurant. They meet and exchange few words over their cigarette break when Lei asks the young man why he always carries a half-smoked cigarette on his ear. It’s the cigarette he was offered on his first day in London, his first cigarette and a quirky look he wants to be remembered by. Not last, it’s a conversation starter and it works well for the two. Few years later, on the 2000’s eve night, we re-encounter the couple. She is still in London, while he is back in his country and the distance has taken its toll. Finally, in the third part, Pang Liong travels all the way to London to face Lei and give a proper closure to a suspended past.

Malaysian-born Anwar Johari Ho directed and co-wrote with Eleanor Teh, his first short film and Masters’ thesis work, with great flare and measure. The film so far has won the Best International Short Film at Jaffna International Cinema Festival 2019, Best Sound Design at Seashorts Film Festival 2019 and earned several nominations.

Shot on a budget and wisely making the most out of it, “Forget Me Not” is a quiet, subtly toned observation that captures the moments and the moods of a dissolving relationship and the lingering trail of memories and feelings. Despite the simplicity of the narrative, “Forget Me Not” is a moody, contemplative piece of work, composed of many significant details. This great attention to minutiae forms the long-lasting pattern of memories, emotions and gestures that contributes to makes this minimalist work emotionally resonant.

The leitmotif of “Xiang Si He Pan”, a popular love song from the 60s whose translation is behind the title “Forget Me Not”, expresses the two soul’s loneliness and their respective desire, and creates a detached romantic and melancholic atmosphere. The skilled photography veers from gloomy desaturation to vivid colours and dark neon-stricken interiors, characterising all the phases of the relationship.

What it jumped out to my eyes watching “Forget Me Not” is the profound influence that director Wong Kar-wai seems to have had on the young filmmaker who has adopted many of the aesthetic paradigms and themes of the Hong Kong maestro. Every shot of “Forget Me Not” references some of his works; from the 60’s love song to the cigarettes, the neon lights, the close-ups to the hands, the cable phone conversations (no mobiles in sight!), the themes of distance, loneliness and longing. However, considering the quality of this debut, I am sure director Anwar Johari Ho will have all the time and skills to develop his own personal style, in his own pace.