Geraldine Chaplin's portrayal of a mentally ill ( or just borderline personality disorder? ) woman is so spot-on, it is painful to watch at moments- really raw vulnerability. I had to watch it twice to pay attention to the other characters' performances. The ending is so perfect I had to laugh. The plotting and finesse of this film is so far above the typical ex-lover revenge movie I don't want to put it in that category. This is a psychological thriller that deserves more attention; maybe today's filmmakers would learn something.

"Remember My Name" is a fascinating character study with a towering performance by Geraldine Chaplin in the role of Emily, a deranged jailbird just let out of the slammer for a murder conviction. She unabashedly makes a beeline for her ex-husband Niel (Anthony Perkins) and overtly stalks him and his new wife, at one point even walking into their home and confronting the newlywed, Barbara (Berry Berenson).The unhinged nature of Emily is apparent in nearly all of her actions, as she embezzles from her employer, destroys property, attacks a co-worker, stabs the co-worker's boyfriend, and enlists a kind security guard in her psychopathic scheme to enact revenge on her ex-husband.But the film is boosted by the ambivalent characterization of Neil, who becomes just as creepy and disturbed as Emily. Perkins is outstanding as the callous womanizer, who, is as attracted to Emily as a moth to a flame.The film is multi-layered with nuances that approach or even surpass dark comedy. The recurring news broadcast of a cataclysmic earthquake in Hungary is a truly macabre backdrop for the sordid stalking activities of Emily. And Emily's connection to the mother of her boss at the thrift store includes the subtext of knowing that the boss's mother was also a murderer, with whom Emily forged a bond while spending time in the pokey.Audiences can debate the many ambivalent moments, nuances, and strange meeting of Neil and the security guard named Pike at the end of the film. Clearly, Neil and Pike have been had for suckers by wily and charismatic Emily. The tawdry settings and and recurring blues music are the final touches on a disturbing film experience. It is a fair assumption that both Neil and Pike will be remembering the name of the lovely little lady named Emily.

A woman is released from prison and then starts stalking a man. But why?Starring Anthony Perkins and Geraldine Chaplin.Written and directed by Alan Rudolph.This movie has such a promising premise but ultimately it's a frustrating watch.It did keep my interest and I was fascinated all the way through to know what was going on and why this strange woman was stalking the main protagonist and his wife. The stand out performance was by Geraldine Chaplin, she played a great part. Unfortunately Perkins was quite wooden and I wanted to poke his screen wife (Berry Berenson) with a very long stick to see if she was still alive. The ending was frustrating. I was hoping that all the loose ends would be tied up or we would at least get a decent twist, but I was left with more questions than answers. I usually don't mind open endings, but this one left me feeling short changed. What the heck actually happened at the end? What the heck happened in their relationship before she was locked up in prison?Too many unanswered questions and I really can't be bothered surfing any movie related message boards to find out. I'll move on to the next old movie.7/10

This movie is about sweet revenge for a betrayal.Chaplin's character was once a trusting innocent and was used; now she gives him his fair due. Perkins and Chaplin and Gunn are all so right in their characters (though Chaplin's accent is "off," as it was again in "Nashville"), but they each gave real humanity to their characters. And the haunting music is for me the best part of the show. This film introduced me to Alberta Hunter, and in the years following this film I searched out five more albums by her. Bravo! And when shall we EVER get a DVD publication of the full film? Evidently Ms. Hunter died before signing a release for a commercial VHS (or DVD), so it's legal wrangling that prevents us from having our own copies of this powerful character study.