Before We Forget

Without giving spoilers, the film's entire premise is Matias's quest to find an 'ending' to his unresolved story. The narrative is built around the confrontation between memory and present reality. Therefore, the conclusion is less about providing neat closure and more about exploring what closure truly means when dealing with the ghosts of the past. It promises a emotionally resonant resolution that prioritises character insight and thematic completion over simplistic happiness, staying true to its exploration of life imitating art.

The 1990s international school setting is crucial for establishing a specific, transient world. It was an era before constant digital connection, making a sudden expulsion and loss of contact feel absolute and permanently unresolved. This pre-internet context heightens the mystery and idealisation that defines Matias's memory of Alexander. The period allows the film to explore youthful friendship and fascination in a bubble, isolated from the wider world, which makes its abrupt end all the more traumatic and fertile ground for decades of artistic rumination.

As a 2025 release, specific Australian streaming or theatrical details are not yet confirmed. Typically, films of this scale and international cast premiere at major film festivals like MIFF or SFF before securing local distribution. Audiences should keep an eye on announcements from independent cinema chains like Palace or Dendy, as well as streaming platforms that specialise in world cinema and LGBTQ+ narratives. Checking the film's official social media channels closer to its July release date will provide the most accurate local viewing information.

The film approaches its central relationship with a focus on tenderness and elusive emotion rather than explicit labels. It portrays a strong, fascinated friendship between two young men where feelings remain powerfully undeclared, speaking to a specific experience of queer longing and ambiguity. The story's tension arises from this emotional suspension, not from societal conflict. By framing it as a filmmaker's lifelong creative and personal puzzle, it treats the relationship with a reflective, introspective quality that will resonate with audiences familiar with stories of love that went unspoken.

The film employs two actors to portray the protagonist at different life stages. Santiago Madrussan likely embodies the younger Matias during his school days in the 1990s, capturing the vulnerability and nascent passion of youth. Juan Pablo Di Pace takes on the role of Matias in his forties, portraying the weight of decades of artistic and personal stagnation. This dual casting allows for a nuanced study of how character endures and changes over time, a central pillar of the film's narrative structure.

At its heart, 'Before We Forget' is a poignant exploration of memory and emotional closure. The film delves into how we carry the ghosts of our youth, particularly those relationships that ended without resolution. It contrasts the intense, tender fascination of adolescent connection with the complex realities of middle age, asking whether revisiting the past heals old wounds or simply reopens them. The motif of 'life imitating art' as Matias seeks his ending underscores the struggle to reconcile memory with truth.

While the film's narrative of a filmmaker revisiting a formative friendship from his youth feels deeply personal, there is no indication it is a direct biographical account. The story taps into a universal truth about the lingering impact of unresolved relationships and the way we mythologise our past. It uses the framework of a filmmaker struggling to finish a project inspired by his own life, a classic metafictional device that blurs the line between reality and artistic creation, making the emotional core feel authentic without requiring a factual basis.