By: debbie lynn elias
Currently making its way through the film festival circuit is FOREVERLAND. A beautiful film to watch, both visually and emotionally, FOREVERLAND is filled with an emotional honesty that radiates through the story and the performances. Written and directed by Max McGuire, FOREVERLAND draws on McGuire’s own story and experiences as a man living with cystic fibrosis, watching the clock of life rapidly tick down on a shortened time table. Contemplative. Reflective. Thoughtful. FOREVERLAND finds its footing early on and never slips.
Will is an affable and amiable young man, albeit with a dark sense of humor. As he approaches his 21st birthday, Will gets his kicks by taking coffins for a “test drive” at the local mortuary and the funeral director, Mr. Steadman, not only allows it, he participates. Will spends the rest of his time as a “motivational” speaker or attending funerals. And his loose change goes into a jar earmarked for the purchase of “Angelica”, his favorite casket model. But these activities are not as bizarre as they seem. You see, Will has cystic fibrosis. Given a “death sentence” as a child with his parents being told not to expect Will to live past 20, in Will’s mind, the Grim Reaper is about to knock on his door. Why should he plan for life? Why buy a car? Why should he get involved in a relationship that may expire before it begins? Why should he do anything that remotely takes him from his well established daily medical routine and “disrupt” his life or make him care, only to lose it all in the blink of an eye? A man with a morbidly dark, but entertaining, sense of humor, Will appears to have come to terms with his life and its expiration date. Or has he?
With the passing of one of his best friends from CF, Bobby, Will feels the handwriting on the wall for himself. As he reconnects with Bobby’s sister Hannah thanks to a mysterious envelope she has been designated to deliver, Will’s life is about to change forever. Containing nothing more than an attorney’s business card, the envelope contents direct Will to this attorney where he is charged with a solemn last wish from Bobby – take Bobby’s ashes to a church in Mexico, a church with waters flowing beneath it that contain healing powers. (In a very funny scene – and so important to understanding Will – we learn that while loved ones mourned Bobby and watched his casket be lowered into the ground, the contents over which they cried were pornos and other memorabilia that Bobby had designated be stuffed into the casket instead of his body.) Bobby never made it to the church in life to test its healing powers, but now in death, wishes his ashes to be sprinkled into the those waters. And he wants Will, the man who has never owned a car or left the confines of the city where he lives, to make the journey and fulfill his final wishes.
As Will marks his 21st birthday, the answer to his problem becomes clearer. With Hannah giving him reasoned counsel and reasons to make the trip and his father giving him a restored Mustang as a birthday gift, Will decides to take the risk, the first one of his life. He’ll make the journey to Mexico…with Hannah.
Max Thieriot gives a memorable performance as Will. Straddling the line between darkness and light, comedy and morbidity, and the desire to not only capture the medical technicalities necessary to portray a man with CF but give a performance that will do justice to Max McGuire, Thieriot really comes into his own as an actor. His timing and delivery of wry quick-witted dialogue is pitch perfect as is his reflective manner portraying the tacit inner workings of a man facing his own mortality.
Taking on a role that is fashioned after and written by somebody that one will also be working with as a director is never an easy task, but toss in the unusual circumstances with McGuire’s precarious health situation, is something that definitely played into Thieriot’s mind. “It’s challenging. You kinda feel obligated to do it justice and to make it as special and as real as you can. I know I wanted this to be a thing that I would be proud of and that Max would be proud of as well…It weighed heavily on my mind throughout the shoot. I wanted this to be real.”
With that inherent responsibility, Thieriot also found himself looking more to his writer/director than he normally would with a role. “Normally when I’m building a character it’s more of a ’ground up’…and with this I definitely leaned on Max a lot for a lot of advice, a lot of the physical stuff, a lot of the medicinal stuff because he experiences it, he lives this everyday. Rather than coming up with a character…a lot of the stuff had to come from him because he knows. I could do all the research in the world, but when I’m spending everyday with somebody who actually lives this life, it’s definitely helpful.”
Joining Thieriot for the ride is the delightful Laurence Leboeuf, whom Thieriot describes as being “really sweet and really easy to work with.” As Hannah, she brings an emotional balance and perfect compliment to Thieriot’s Will that grounds the film and keeps the scales from tilting into disbelief. And the chemistry between Leboeuf and Thieriot is just a joy to watch develop and unfold.
I always love quirky supporting characters when they serve a purpose and the performances are good. FOREVERLAND more than succeeds in that regard, most notably with Juliette Lewis as Aunt Vicky, Matt Frewer as funeral director Mr. Steadman and Demian Bichir as Salvador. None are used as window dressing. Each is integral to furthering the story and provides either backstory (such as Lewis’ Vicky) or setting the tone for contemplative reflection and thought (Frewer’s sage calming wisdom). Douglas O’Keeffe is perfect as the tacit, supporting father who, by the very nature of fixing up the Mustang for his son, sees a future. Likewise, the construction of the character of Will’s mother Fran and Sarah Callies’ performance is a welcome change from what we usually see as the mother of a child with as terminal illness. There is no frenetic paranoid performance. Each day is treated just like any other day in any other family filled with well children. And Bichir is glorious as Salvador. You feel his own sorrow and loss at what has happened to the church and its land, as well as his integrity and faith, but we also see the more mercenary side of him which contradicts his complaints about the 5 par golf course built within the church concourse. You want to see Salvador earn some form of redemption. This is one shortcoming in the story as I would have liked to see a revisit and wrap-up with this character.
Written and directed by Max McGuire, the script is solid, albeit a few incongruities within the story set up and narration and what we see transpire. (e.g., Will requires 4000 calories a day, yet while on his journey to Mexico we not only don’t see him eat, but we don’t see his physical stamina or condition suffer any consequences.) The adventure on which Will and Hannah embark is interesting to watch unfold as Will, a boy who has never had a car, never left the city, crams a lifetime of living into this journey – – – a true gift from his friend Bobby. Little twists of romance that start early on with a blonde at an elevator, come full circle, albeit predictably. Everything which opening narrations tell us about Will and what he doesnt have or never had, is addressed as the film progresses. A welcome aspect of the film that we so often donft see.
A real standout is Celiana Cardenas’ cinematography which is exquisite. Crystalline purity. I LOVE the use of time lapse for the world passing by, juxtapositioned against “real time” of the individuals. Wonderful metaphoric styling. Editing is smooth and the pacing easy. Complimenting the entire package is Adam Lastiwka’s lyrical and soothing score. It never overpowers and is almost as lulling and comforting as a babyfs lullaby. Simply precious.
With an ethereal quality brimming with lightness and brightness that serves as a beautiful contrast to a dark subject which never feels dark or somber thanks to the visuals and the chemistry between Max Thieriot and Laurence Leboeuf, FOREVERLAND eloquently shows us that from death comes life and darn it all….live life while you can.
Will – Max Thieriot
Hannah – Laurence Leboeuf
Salvador – Demian Bichir
Aunt Vicky – Juliette Lewis
Mr. Steadman – Matt Frewer
Written and Directed by Max McGuire.
