Forgotten Love (2023) Ending Explained
Movies adapted from novels are quite the delight for readers. It brings their imagined world alive on screen and also gives them the space to have a stunning visualisation in the memory. Stories depicting human resilience and unwavering spirit are always a source of inspiration and instil one’s faith in humanity that there is still good left in the world. One such story is Forgotten Love, Netflix’s latest offering about a man who gets his forgotten life and family back. The movie is adapted from a novel of the same name and makes a wonderful attempt at bringing the characters to life on screen.
Forgotten Love Plot Summary
Forgotten Love is a story about a leading neurosurgeon Professor Rafal Wilzcur in Poland. On a fateful night, he is violently mugged and left to die. His friend and colleague arrives on the spot, but he does nothing to help Professor Rafal. He sees Professor Rafal’s accident as an opportunity to seize the chair.
In his personal life, Professor Rafal has a strained relationship with his wife. He loves his daughter Marysia the most, but earlier on the day of his mugging, he comes to an empty house. His wife left him and took their daughter with her. Marysia and her mother live with her mother’s lover in the countryside.
About fifteen years later, it is found that Professor Rafal is very much alive. He does not have any memory of his past, but vaguely remembers having a daughter. He also remembers his medical skills, and gains a reputation as a quack. He crosses paths with Marysia but she does not recognise her father.
Does Rafal get his memory back?
Marysia is involved in a love affair with a count. Their match goes heavily opposed by the count’s mother. In one freak accident, the count and Marysia have a close brush with death. The count is made to believe that Marysia is dead, but love has its way of finding its way back. Marysia and the count are reunited.
Professor Rafal eventually gains some of his memories back. He finds his way back into society. He gets married and so does his daughter. The father-daughter reunion is anything but emotional.
How does Forgotten Love end?
The movie Forgotten Love ends on a happy note for Professor Rafal and his daughter Marysia. The movie leaves a message in two layers for viewers; the first is that no matter how much outside forces try to bring you down, as long as you are honest and determined, you can achieve anything. Sure, there will be delays and obstacles, but soon you will get what you wish for.
The second is that love always finds its way back. Since time immemorial, we have seen stories both fact and fiction where love has triumphed over all obstacles and setbacks.
In the end, after Rafal and Marysia are married to their partners, we see that they are in the countryside. They arrive at Marysia’s home in a fancy marriage parade. For a count to leave his luxurious life to his love and to settle in the countryside is quite a sacrifice. It is true when they say that no amount of riches can equal the richness of love.
After everything that Professor Rafal and his daughter Marysia went through, happiness and good fortune shined onto their lives. They got the life and the happiness they truly deserved. It took a while, but all’s well that ends well. Right?
What are your thoughts on the Netflix movie Forgotten Love? Let us know in the comments below!
Read More: Forgotten Love (2023) Netflix Movie Review
I wholeheartedly agree with Volker Grady’s comment regarding the voiceovers. I would have preferred to read subtitles and hear the original voices, or at the very least, have the voiceovers and language match and be better suited to the time period and characters. Sadly, the poor quality and choices for the voiceovers detracted from what was otherwise a beautiful film.
I would also like to have had closure regarding what happened to the jealous colleague who did not stop the mugging, and even in the final court scene, did not come clean. He deserved to lose his position and be cast out, but it would also have been very powerful for him to have been forgiven – in either case, I feel it was left dangling.
Heartwarming storyline, good casting. Sadly the voiceover almost ruined the movie for me. It must have been written by a younger person completely clueless of the era the movie takes place in. It was written how we talk today, NOT how folks spoke 90 years ago! I can give a few dozen examples. Come on, you all know better, be intuitive, be in the story and era and find more authentic sounding voices….!
Why did the daughter leave the count? What did our hero turn himself in since the cop said he didn’t have to arrest him ?
I loved the movie as well. I was googling the movie to see why the evil doctor (supposedly his friend) wasn’t arrested. Too bad that Rafal couldn’t remember the mugging. (Which I don’t think the evil doctor set it up, but he took advantage of it? Or maybe he thought about shooting his supposed friend, because he wanted to take over chief of surgery at the hospital and didn’t like how his friend wanted to treat poor people.) Marysia’s hair looked like that due to it was a wig. The book probably clarifies more than the movie. Something that’s cool trivia about the movie is that the actor that played Rafal Wilczur, his real name is Leszek, and that was the counts name in the movie. So I didn’t like that the first wife took Marysia away from her dad on her birthday. But I think the mom and the stepdad received their karma by dying early deaths. I think Rafal did better marrying Zoska. Great acting and great storyline. I might read the book now. Loved how the movie was in memory of the filmakers father.
I loved the movie; however, I wonder why Marysia’s hair changed color and texture post-accident. They could have found a better depiction of what she would look like as her hair was growing back. :-(
1. He went to that area to talk with his wife’s aunt. He called the egotistical doctor to meet him there to help find his wife and daughter. For some reason the evil doctor brought a gun (maybe for protection in a bad area or a crime of opportunity to get rid of the doctor), but the thugs got him first.
2. We were never told why his wife left, but that she ran to another man tells me she was having an affair and loved this man. She lied to her daughter about her father committing suicide.
3. The counts mother had heard of the scandal (socialites gossip for sport) about his wife leaving with the daughter and the same day the husband goes missing, presumed dead but no body was found. The count figured it out that his girlfriend was the doctors’ daughter, which all could be proven with photographs.
4. The evil doctor wanted to have custody of the doctor under the guise of helping him regain his memory; to perform “treatments” that would not help but insure he would never regain his memory (lobotomy, shock therapy, and doped up on medications) and he could cover up any memories that did resurface.
5. I do not think the count was disinherited because his parents were at the wedding and his father put his foot down on his wife’s lying and meddling.
6. The guy that cut the brake line on the motorcycle, was jealous of the count because he wanted to marry Marysia and she said “no” cause the marriage would not be for love. He saw Marysia and the count making love at her place through the window and being drunk (and stupid), threw the alcohol bottle at the bike and then cut the brake line. Feeling quilty, after the accident and Marysia nearly died, he confessed.
7. I kept thinking that somehow the doctor/father was going to go to Marysias’ place and see the doll (which was on the dressing table), then he would remember, he did “surgery” on it at the beginning of the movie.
Hope this helps explain some things.
What was the scandal that the young count discussed on the phone with his mother? What did it have to do with Maryisa’s stepfather? How was the old countess connected?
One of the best films I have ever seen. I would like to have seen the evil doctor who could have helped him but didn’t get his just desserts but that didn’t happen. He could have hatched the attack which I didn’t think of but he was truly evil. A fab film
What happened to his wife??
Why was the wife not happy with him @marysia mum
My husband and I disagree. He feels strongly that the mugging was set up by the creepy egotist doctor, while I feel just as strongly that he took advantage of his rival’s being beaten, but did NOT set it up. He took out his gun, and then likely realized,”hey, if I let this happen, then I will be the one getting the jobs and the attention!”He was a horrible little man, but he didn’t set it up…..What say ye?
What happened to his wife?
Yes, he had a gun. But he never raised it. In fact, he made a subtle move with the fun for the thugs to leave. It didn’t bother him that they beat the poor doctor to a pulp. When he could have told him that he was a famous doctor, he didn’t. My tears came when the kid who the doctor did brain surgery on was in the courtroom. “He saved my life”. “He’s my father”. Awesome!!!
Excellent movie!! Touching. But after the reunion with his daughter, I wanted him to punch his rival, I guess he didn’t remember him. That guy was ready to make sure he never got his memory back, some friend, evil. I think he did set up the mugging, and I think he sent him to that area!!
Great movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
That was exactly the plot point I wanted to have explained! Did his rival arrange the mugging??
why did he go into that area where he got mugged? Was he looking for something there?
Yes, his wife’s aunt used to live there, he assumed his wife will be there ,,,,
And why did his partner have a gun with him when he witnessed the mugging? Because it’s a dangerous neighbourhood
My wife and I enjoyed the movie very much.
Of course, there are some scenes that need more explaining.
Like why did he go into that area where he got mugged? Was he looking for something there?
And why did his partner have a gun with him when he witnessed the mugging?