Doug Bruce woke up on a subway car in Coney Island, not knowing where he was, what he was on or who he was. He had no choice but to turn himself into the police who were confounded by his lack of knowledge. They tried to piece together the clues he was carrying with him in his rucksack but none of them gave a clear idea as to who he was. When taken to the hospital, attempts were made to contact the one number he had on him and eventually he was picked up, still unsure of who he was and where he had come from.

So follows a harrowing journey as Doug tries to piece together his life again. His amnesia so extreme that he didn't even know what snow felt like or what the ocean resembled. We are initially skeptical of Doug's condition as he seems to be acting in an overly calm and distant manner. But some early footage of Doug shows him struggling to hold back tears as he recounts the problems he has in remembering who he is and how any form of familiarity in his life was missing.

An old friend of Doug's from Britain is the maker of this fascinating film and so provides an added level of authenticity to the affair. Doug also took the strange option of filming some of the events as they happened on his video camera. The first time he meets his father and younger sister for example. It just seemed hugely convenient to me that he would be filming it but maybe that's just my overly cynical side coming out.

The film is full of powerful moments - David's relationships with his friends in particular. When he goes back to visit his friends in England, there is an uncomfortable reunion. Even though these people have shared a 20-year friendship with Doug, he treats them as if they are strangers. They know that there will be no way of ever re-capturing the friendship they shared with Doug and the Doug they used to know now only exists in their memories.

Doug is also faced with a dilemma. Does he really want to remember his past? He soon decides, rather shockingly, that he is not actually interested in remembering. He has had tough experiences in his past, the death of his mother (whom he cannot remember), being one of them. The people around him state rather sadly that they miss the old Doug, a figure who now only exists in the ether. Doug has changed. He has become more introspective and less cynical.

He rediscovers the world and doesn't take anything for granted. His sometimes muted attitude is often disconcerting but it's just his way of sorting out truth from fiction. When you're being told your entire history by complete strangers, it's not always easy to believe everything you're told. Unknown White Male is a compelling study of what a powerful part memory plays in our lives.

It's often over-stylised and there are a few overly dramatic music choices but overall it is a desperately sad look at how an internal problem, which could happen to anyone, can affect so many people in such a devastating way. One of the more significant documentaries of the year.

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