''Erase and Forget'' is a 2017 documentary film directed by

Andrea Luka Zimmerman Andrea Luka Zimmerman is a Jarman Award winning artist, filmmaker and cultural activist whose work focuses on aspects of working class experience, and that of people margnalised by mainstream society, that are seldom seen or discussed. Andrea work ...

which charts the life of American ex-soldier Bo Gritz, in order to examine the links between Hollywood films and 'America's hidden wars'.

Synopsis

''Erase and Forget'' features interviews with Bo Gritz filmed over a ten-year period, alongside archival footage and images gleaned from the internet.

Production and release

''Erase and Forget'' is a Danish-British co-production, which was supported by The Wapping Project Commissions with funding from Women's Playhouse Trust and Arts Council England. The executive producer was Gareth Evans. It was developed out of early collaboration with Vision Machine. ''Erase and Forget'' first screened at the 2017

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

where it was nominated for the Glashütte Original Documentary Award. It screened in October 2017 at the

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...

, played in UK cinemas from 2 March 2018 and was internationally screened on online viewing platform MUBI in July and August 2018.

Critical reaction

The Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nikk ...

'' gave it 5 stars and wrote "the film is so loopy you end up like Laocoön, wreathed by serpents of paradox and contradiction." ''

Empire Magazine ''Empire'' is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. The first issue was published in May 1989. History David Hepworth of Emap, the publisher of British music magazines '' Q'' and ''Smash Hits'', among other title ...

'', '' Little White Lies'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', and '' Frieze'', were some of the papers or magazines which connected the film to the presidency of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

and contemporary American politics, with ''Frieze'' describing it as "a portrait of Gritz as a kind of cipher for evolving 20th century American ideologies" and ''Empire'' describing it as a "disconcerting documentary, which also doubles as an insight into the American mindset that led to the election of Donald Trump". The film topped '' Sight & Sound'''s Five British Artists films of 2018. There was some criticism around Gritz himself being a contentious character by the ''Times'''

Kevin Maher Kevin Andrew Maher (born 17 October 1976) is a former professional footballer and coach who played as a midfielder. He is head coach of National League side Southend United. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland internationall ...

, questioning the possible platform Gritz was given by this film. Zimmerman responded saying that she made the film precisely because of his contentious role in popular and military culture.

References

External links

* * * {{Rotten Tomatoes, id=m/erase_and_forget 2017 films 2017 documentary films 2010s English-language films English-language documentary films