By: debbie lynn elias
A real charmer making it a “Must See” at Los Angeles Film Festival 2013 is FOREV. A contender in the Narrative Competition, FOREV comes to LAFF courtesy of Molly Green and James Leffler who make their feature film debut. Finding this film late in the game, after seeing it myself I can understand why LAFF programmer Maggie Mackay was so excited to have this included in the line-up. Described by Mackay as “a real find”, FOREV is incredibly funny. “[A] Sweet, lovely, really scrappy little indie that was made with very little money but it looks great and the performances are great and the filmmakers are these really young enthusiastic filmmakers. They’ve got comedic timing down so beautifully they don’t feel like new filmmakers. They feel like old hat, really smart, fun, working in a genre that’s really hard.”
A sweet and funny film with a touch of goofiness, Pete and Sophie are neighbors, or friends, or kinda friends but it’s clear from the outset that the somewhat geeky Pete has more than friendship in mind with the adorable Sophie. Unfortunately, Sophie is oblivious to Pete’s affection and interest in her, opting instead for one night stand pick-ups in bars. Going through the motions os life as a struggling actress, Sophie agrees to join Pete on a road trip to pick up his sister Jess from college. Along the 6-hour road trip, talk turns to marriage and a running joke about getting engaged to each other. Before long, the adorbsome couple is not only engaged, but stranded in the desert with a jilted unhappy Jess, an assortment of interesting folks and some emotional road bumps with their pending nuptials.
Yes, “adorbsome” is the word for this quirky bit of goodness and it’s thanks to the magic of Noel Wells and Matt Mider who, as Sophie and Pete, steal your heart. Sweet, fun, engaging and with a few life lessons along the way, charming performances are buoyed by the light bright upbeat cinematography of Robert Edgecomb who does metaphoric wonders with the desert palette and warming bright sun. A road trip montage of Sophie and Pete will have your heart smiling.
A rom-com of magical proportion, FOREV.
Written and Directed by Molly Green and James Leffler
Cast: Noel Wells, Matt Mider
