Remember

Zev Guttman, an 89-year-old dementia patient and Auschwitz survivor, wakes in a New York City nursing home and longs for his wife Ruth, who died two weeks earlier. He struggles to orient himself as memories blur and Ruth's absence presses in. The scene establishes the personal tragedy that drives the rest of his quest.

Max Rosenbaum sits Zev down and urges him to fulfill the vow to avenge their families. He stresses that only the two survivors can still identify Wallisch and pushes Zev toward action. The conversation plants the mission that will carry Zev across borders and through danger.

Max hands Zev a written path to follow and a reminder that Ruth is dead. He arranges Zev's travel logistics and keeps the plan alive by insisting on immediacy. Zev accepts the plan, clinging to the letter as his guide.

Zev leaves the nursing home in a taxi and boards a train toward Cleveland as a Silver Alert is issued for his disappearance. He experiences moments of confusion but grips Ruth's death notice in the letter to steady himself. The external journey marks the first concrete step in his quest.

In Cleveland, Zev buys a Glock 17 at a local gun shop, obtaining a weapon he believes will force Wallisch to face him. The purchase marks a shift from memory to action and gives him a tangible tool for confrontation. He pockets the letter as a guide in case memory falters.

Zev confronts the first Rudy Kurlander in his Cleveland home. The man is a World War II veteran who explains he served in North Africa and was never near Auschwitz. He shows that Zev's target may be a ghost, complicating the hunt and sowing doubt.

Zev travels to Hearst, Ontario, and finds a second Rudy Kurlander living in a nursing home. The man reveals he was a prisoner in Auschwitz, demonstrated by his tattoo on his arm. The encounter deepens Zev's confusion about who among the Rudy Kurlanders is Wallisch.

Zev goes to Boise, Idaho, where the third Rudy Kurlander lives with his son John. John reveals that his father died three months ago, but hints at a Nazi past and shows Zev his memorabilia. When John's rage erupts at the sight of Zev's Jewish tattoo, Zev shoots the dog and then John in self-defense.

In Reno, Zev collapses in the street and is taken to a hospital, where his relieved son travels to Reno. A young girl reads his letter to him, which seems to give him resolve to continue. After a night in a hotel and a credit card payment, he heads toward South Lake Tahoe for the final confrontation.

Zev arrives at the fourth Rudy Kurlander's home in South Lake Tahoe and spends a night in a hotel beforehand. He hears and recognizes the man by voice, sensing a connection to the infamous Auschwitz figure. The confrontation is imminent as Zev prepares to demand the truth.

Zev's son arrives and witnesses Zev threaten Sturm's granddaughter to extract the truth. Sturm confesses that he was in the SS and killed many people, and reveals his real name is Kunibert Sturm, insisting that Zev is actually Otto Wallisch. He explains that the two men tattooed each other with consecutive numbers to pose as survivors, exposing a chilling shared past.

Overwhelmed by the confession and memory, Zev shoots Sturm and then, uttering 'I remember', fatally shoots himself. The violent act ends Zev’s quest and seals a tragic, self-inflicted closure to Ruth's murder and their shared history. The ending collapses Zev's frail resolve into a final, irreversible act.

Back in New York, nursing home residents watch television reports of the murder-suicide. Max reveals that he recognized Zev as Wallisch when he arrived at the nursing home, exposing the villainy behind their past. On Max's desk, a copy of his letter, a photo of Otto Wallisch, and a handwritten confession by Max stand as grim evidence of the cycle of revenge.