Ivan Kander
Since it’s the eve of the apocalypse (well, according to those crazy Mayans), we here at Short of the Week thought it best to feature the sweetest of doomsday narratives—you know, something to warm your heart as we face the abyss together.
George’s girlfriend has just left him and the world is coming to an end. No, seriously, the world is literally coming to an end. An unnamed disaster of epic proportions is about to strike the Eastern seaboard, and George—now companionless—is left in the unenviable position of facing doomsday all by his lonesome. That is, until he meets the perfect stranger to spend the rest of his life with.
For such a high concept idea, Forever’s Not So Long is decidedly lo-fi. And, that’s what makes it so brilliant. All that flashy stuff? The explosions and special effects—the glitzy pizazz that Roland Emmerich and Michael Bay dream about? It’s all absent here. Turns out blazing fireballs are not nearly as compelling as the well told story of a budding relationship between a man and woman.
Obviously, the film’s apocalyptic overtones are just a mechanism to explore other issues—from questioning one’s role in the grand scheme of things to honing in on what’s really important in life. Yet, thankfully, none of these topics ever comes off as overly didactic. Largely this has to do with tone. The film straddles a delicate line—it never becomes too slapstick to take seriously nor does it become too serious to poke fun at itself. The result is utterly compelling, an examination of what makes relationships a frustrating/delightful/hopeful mashup of emotions. Even as the world is coming to an end, our two protagonists still manage to let the smallest, insignificant problems get underneath their craw, until, ultimately, they realize that in the face of disaster it’s just better to drop the triviality and face the fire together.
Beyond the strong lead performances, special attention should be given to the music, which is truly amazing. Like the narrative’s expert tonal balancing act, the score transitions from quirky to emotionally moving effortlessly. I’m not ashamed to admit that things got more than a little dusty for me by the end of the film’s runtime.
Forever’s Not So Long is certainly not a new addition to the online shorts community. Posted a few years back, it’s already racked up half a million views on vimeo and has collected a fair share of impressive festival accolades. Yet, as the movie suggests, timing is everything—whether it be with simple blog posts such as this, or on a more profound note, finding the perfect person to hold on to when the world comes crashing down.