Take a second and think about the phrase ‘I Love You Forever.’ What comes to mind is probably a 40-plus-year marriage that beat the odds of every possible relationship roadblock. “I Love You” is already heavy alone, but adding the word together at the end? Wow. But there are times when those exact words could be used as a weapon, a mode of gaslighting, or a disarming device for something nefarious towards a well-meaning person.Co-directors/writers Cazzie David and Elisa Kalani bring you into this story, making it seem like a conventional rom-com where a Detroit-based Prince Charming will come and sweep a final-year law student off her feet. But looks can be deceiving, and an unfortunate union with the wrong person could send your life into a tailspin.
Mackenzie (Sofia Black-D’Elia) is studious and has a great career ahead of her, but she doesn’t have the most extraordinary luck in the love department. She’s been stuck in a two-year situationship with Jake (Raymond Cham Jr.), whom she still doesn’t know much about. It’s not as if he’d tell her anyway – Jake is self-centered and obnoxious in his own right. Even with her best friends Abby (David) and Lucas (Jon Rudnitsky) there to give their support, Mackenzie is a little down on herself. But luck would have it; her fortunes are about to change when she meets Finn (Ray Nicholson) at Abby’s birthday party. He’s a charismatic newscaster who swoops in at the right time. Mackenzie and Finn hit it off and start dating. There are a couple of alarm markers in there, like Finn electing to Facetime her out of the blue and maybe trauma dumping on Mackenzie a little too soon. But he’s nice and genuinely likes Mackenzie’s company for who she is. She finally has someone who affirms in the way she’s been seeking.
Everything seems grand until we start getting to know Finn. To say he’s needy would be an understatement, and as the relationship continues, it becomes more aggressive. Not too long before, a barrage of texts and calls constantly bombard Mackenzie to the point where everything else in her life slips away. She can’t concentrate on school because Finn always needs validation. Hanging out with friends is out because he’s finding a way to spy on her or threatening some mode of self-harm. How is this affection at all if there is no longstanding peace? ‘I Love You Forever’ dives into the thorny side of how a union like this can swallow someone whole like a tidal wave. It becomes heartbreaking to see Mackenzie’s character always having to apologize for Finn’s long-winded, manipulative tactics. As the film goes on, these scenes can be repetitive because you grasp what the film is going for.
To that effect, David and Kalani interject instances of comedy, alleviating some of the central story’s pressure. Abby and Lucas banter about their dating lives in a way that is funny and tailored to a particular friend group. Mackenzie’s character are in these scenarios a lot earlier on, but her presence becomes less and less throughout the film. There are points where you’d wish Mackenzie’s friends were a little more forceful in pushing against what was happening to her. Besides one discussion towards ‘I Love You Forever’s third act, Mackenzie is left to fend for herself in this never-ending spiral of emotional strife.
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Soon, Mackenzie could not even recognize who she was without the unreal heaping of tech making sure Finn’s every beck and call was answered. Ray Nicholson is a little too good at playing a narcissist, but that bounces off the sincere desperation of Sofia Black-D’Elia. Mackenzie isn’t given much of a back story besides a traumatic experience she had earlier in college. It’s a vulnerable moment she shares with Finn, and although he expresses sorrow, his darker tendencies airing towards pettiness and jealousy grow. There’s also the way Black-D’Elia delivers the dialogue of Mackenzie’s story, which makes you feel even more sorry for her. Here is a woman who has been conditioned to accept bad treatment from people from the slight exposition we are given to the point where she clings to the appearance of something good.
Frustrations may arise in how ‘I Love You Forever’ reaches its conclusion—especially after witnessing the main character pushed to the brink of emotional despair for the bulk of the 89-minute narrative. The film takes a bow with a satirical twinge. While you have to admire the film for sticking to its guns, they’ll be a part of you that will see more out of Mackenzie’s epiphany moment. David and Kalani straddle the line between unsettling and humor, often dipping into the former.
