Trauma has the ability to completely change someone, for better or worse. Some are able to eventually rise above the grief and despair, and come out stronger than they were before. Others, no matter how hard they try, succumb to the overwhelming vastness of their pain and are swallowed up by it.
Love You Forever, the short film written and directed by Alexandrea Meyer (in her debut behind the camera), takes a grim, earnest look at the depths in which a traumatic event can alter someone’s life and mental health.
The movie begins with shaky video camera footage of Shannon (played by Meyer) in the hospital while in labor. She’s in good spirits and excited, but nervous as she talks to the camera about how she already loves her baby.
We then cut to Shannon at home as she goes through the motions of caring for her newborn. The mood, however, has a notably ominous tone. Gone is the smiling, eager woman we saw just moments before, replaced with a vacant, reticent version. She’s still able to care for her baby, lovingly singing lullabies and putting together furniture, but there’s a noticeable heaviness to every scene. What first appears as a textbook case of post-partum depression soon spirals into something much darker and more heartbreaking throughout the 16 minute runtime.
This is a bleak, but deliberate and considerate look into the psyche of a person dealing with immense pain and dissociation. The subject matter is heavy, but it’s important to note that it’s not for glorification purposes. There’s intent behind every moment, even though all may not be understood until the final frame.
Meyer excels at commanding this film both as an actor, as well as at the directorial helm. She pulls no punches, relying on little dialogue – replacing words with physical and facial performance to convey what Shannon is going through, which should be commended.
Love You Forever is a difficult watch that will hit differently depending on the viewer, but there’s a purposeful message that is being conveyed. One of the only drawbacks is that some of the scenes linger slightly too much, and when you are talking about a short film, every second counts. Despite that, there’s an intense emotional layer to this story that will likely leave the viewer in deep contemplation long after they’ve finished watching.
