Remember Me: Really Caroline's Story?

In the movie, the professor asked his sociology class, "Does the knowledge of our past benefit us or limit us?" Maybe it depends on how far in the past we are talking about--when the subject of 9/11 comes up, that certainly still feels like a very recent past.

Did you have a hard time accepting the 9/11 tie-in to this story? I was taken by surprise that 9/11 was a part of the story rather than a point of reference (as in, I thought going into this movie that one of the family members had already died on 9/11).

On Saturday, I revisited the characters often before seeing the movie again Sunday and came up with this.

While the story is told from Tyler's point of view, what if the writer was really trying to convey Caroline's story? The story of an 11-year-old in 2001 whose life was forever changed that day because of a family member was killed in the tower. This particular 11-year-old's life had already changed so dramatically once prior, but from her perspective, we get to see some of the impact and aftermath of 9/11 on her life (expecting the bad, but surprised by the good). Though we don't see Caroline several years later, we are left feeling hopeful about her ability to move on, in a way that mirrors Ally, who years after her mother's death is able to finally take the subway.

We learned a lot about Caroline throughout the whole movie, didn't we? She was such an awesomely talented artistic kid, who despite the loss of her oldest brother and not feeling loved by her father, kept the family together and insisted on celebrating special occasions.

Immediately after 9/11 it was very compelling to hear stories on the news of survivors and rescues, but how many stories have we heard recently about the lives of the children who lost family that day?

There were so many children affected by 9/11 who are now adults, and I would imagine many of them have struggled or are still trying to make peace with the devastation and life-altering event of that day. I'm sure many have or will choose to write their stories as a way of coping, dealing, or just sharing what they went through 10+ years later. Perhaps, now that this movie has been made, it will open the door for more stories to be told.

I would welcome those stories.

PS: The story is so cyclical isn't it? Consider this: Ten years later Caroline would be 21 facing her upcoming 22nd birthday the same as Tyler. Just as Tyler sought to share his story in his journal to Michael, it would now be Caroline seeking to share her story.
(I APOLOGIZE to those that left comments that I deleted in error when I went to add my PS above. I haven't quite figured out blogger. )