A brush with death forces a man to come to terms with his family in this drama. Alex (Fedja van Huet) is a photographer who is still dealing with the emotional scars of his troubled adolescence, as well as the suicide of his father. Alex hasn't heard from his twin brother Aram (also played by van Huet) in years when he receives an unexpected call, with Aram informing him that their mother is dying and that he should come to the family estate, known as Amnesia, at his soonest convenience. Alex and his girlfriend Sandra (Carice van Houten) arrive at Amnesia to discover that his mother Eva (Sacha Bulthuis) is drinking heavily and in rapidly failing health; while petty criminal Aram has been hiding out at Amnesia after a run-in with the law, he hasn't been handling affairs especially well, and Alex steps in to take care of Eva and mind the house. As Alex deals with Eva's illness and his issues with his brother, he finds himself thinking of traumatic events from his childhood, putting long-buried emotions into a newly keen focus. Amnesia was the first feature film from writer and director Martin Koolhoven.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide