Director:
Paul Del Vecchio
Studio/Production Company:
Triple E Productions
Genre:
Horror
Sub-Genre:
Thriller
Length:
Feature
Awards Won:
2006 Long Island Big Fish Film Festival Audience Award: Best Feature Film
Website:
http://www.triple-e-productions.net
Score:
3/5
I, like most twenty-somethings, often wonder about what my legacy in life will be. Man's greatest burden is the notion that all of us are capable of being great, yet the overwhelming majority never are. This innate desire is at the heart of Paul Del Vecchio's Forever, a psychological thriller that takes it's cues from J-horror and 70's thrillers to mixed results.
Michael Zaffe (Brian Brady) carries the burden of his father's respected name. From a very early age he has been pressured to achieve nothing less than greatness, a cross who's weight has been perhaps too heavy to bare. Seemingly backed into a corner, Michael has essentially isolated himself from the rest of society, rarely leaving his late father's sprawling (and scarcely furnished) estate. He's in search of a paradigm shifting idea that will be his legacy but the inspiration never comes. His only human contact comes in the very pretty form of neighbor Alyssa (Charlene Miller), the obligatory hot chick who is more than a little into the reclusive Michael - going so far as to hand deliver his mail as an excuse to see him. One day a mysterious man shows up at Michael's doorstep with a cryptic offer: he will give him the legacy he desires, but he must wear a leather collar while he sleeps. Against his better judgment he dons the mysterious accessory to find that it gives him visions of a strange and violent future. He awakes with blood dripping from his ears and nose. In piecing together these visions Michael indeed finds a legacy...one he could never have expected.
The film is told in a non-linear narrative, starting with a very standard slasher-film opening with a bosomy damsel in distress being terrorized by an axe-wielding psychopath, who is eventually gunned down before accomplishing her task. We immediately jump to Michael's story two months prior assuming that the opening scene will take on some meaning eventually, but that is not the case. When we finally return to this story thread it becomes clear that there is nothing legitimately connecting these tales. This is indicative of the poor scripting that plagues the film at every turn. Ideas and images are presented but are never really fleshed out. Understandably, one can say this is a hallmark of some of the best J-horror films and which is true - ambiguity is the reason detra of Asian art cinema in general. Why it works in those films and not so much here is the lack of substantive thought. One need look no further than Satoshi Kon's Paranoia Agent to see what a true artist can do with this idea. Execution and discipline are what make or break a genre film. Del Vecchio undoubtedly has a great visual eye for cinema which shows on nearly every frame of this film - from it's compositions, colors, textures, to camera moves - all of which are ultimately superficial. He sticks so strictly to genre conventions throughout that when the twist ending is finally revealed the tonal shift it takes on detracts from the effect the filmmakers were trying to achieve. And without having invested the time in fleshing out the story we are left with a collection of half-baked ideas and images that don't amount to much.
The acting is generally Skinemax quality which is to be expected in a low budget horror flick. Brian Brady as Michael is particularly ineffectual, delivering his lines with all the personality of a power-point presentation - with subtly exaggerated gestures and facial reactions for bad measure. His inability to physically portray a man worn down by his own ambitions are a detriment to the film. Steve Gagliano, also a producer and veritable second-fiddle on the film, certainly looks the role of the mystery man but his performance elicits more giggles than menace. The one bright light here is Charlene Miller as Alyssa. She takes a one-dimensional genre-device of a role and breathes some life into it. While she doesn't overcome the clunky dialogue she does deliver it with an effortless charm. She's especially good when not speaking at all and simply reacting and inhabiting the character.
Ultimately Forever is a film big on ideas but short on execution. The genre elements are strong enough that fans will have much to enjoy, in particular the make-up effects work again masterminded by Del Vecchio. There's no question he has talent and a natural eye for cinema, something that is very rare in today's indie scene. With some stronger material there's no telling what he can accomplish. I look forward to seeing his next film and hope that he finds a writer that can provide him with a more complete blueprint from which he can flex his movie muscles.
Paul Del Vecchio
Studio/Production Company:
Triple E Productions
Genre:
Horror
Sub-Genre:
Thriller
Length:
Feature
Awards Won:
2006 Long Island Big Fish Film Festival Audience Award: Best Feature Film
Website:
http://www.triple-e-productions.net
Score:
3/5
I, like most twenty-somethings, often wonder about what my legacy in life will be. Man's greatest burden is the notion that all of us are capable of being great, yet the overwhelming majority never are. This innate desire is at the heart of Paul Del Vecchio's Forever, a psychological thriller that takes it's cues from J-horror and 70's thrillers to mixed results.
Michael Zaffe (Brian Brady) carries the burden of his father's respected name. From a very early age he has been pressured to achieve nothing less than greatness, a cross who's weight has been perhaps too heavy to bare. Seemingly backed into a corner, Michael has essentially isolated himself from the rest of society, rarely leaving his late father's sprawling (and scarcely furnished) estate. He's in search of a paradigm shifting idea that will be his legacy but the inspiration never comes. His only human contact comes in the very pretty form of neighbor Alyssa (Charlene Miller), the obligatory hot chick who is more than a little into the reclusive Michael - going so far as to hand deliver his mail as an excuse to see him. One day a mysterious man shows up at Michael's doorstep with a cryptic offer: he will give him the legacy he desires, but he must wear a leather collar while he sleeps. Against his better judgment he dons the mysterious accessory to find that it gives him visions of a strange and violent future. He awakes with blood dripping from his ears and nose. In piecing together these visions Michael indeed finds a legacy...one he could never have expected.
The film is told in a non-linear narrative, starting with a very standard slasher-film opening with a bosomy damsel in distress being terrorized by an axe-wielding psychopath, who is eventually gunned down before accomplishing her task. We immediately jump to Michael's story two months prior assuming that the opening scene will take on some meaning eventually, but that is not the case. When we finally return to this story thread it becomes clear that there is nothing legitimately connecting these tales. This is indicative of the poor scripting that plagues the film at every turn. Ideas and images are presented but are never really fleshed out. Understandably, one can say this is a hallmark of some of the best J-horror films and which is true - ambiguity is the reason detra of Asian art cinema in general. Why it works in those films and not so much here is the lack of substantive thought. One need look no further than Satoshi Kon's Paranoia Agent to see what a true artist can do with this idea. Execution and discipline are what make or break a genre film. Del Vecchio undoubtedly has a great visual eye for cinema which shows on nearly every frame of this film - from it's compositions, colors, textures, to camera moves - all of which are ultimately superficial. He sticks so strictly to genre conventions throughout that when the twist ending is finally revealed the tonal shift it takes on detracts from the effect the filmmakers were trying to achieve. And without having invested the time in fleshing out the story we are left with a collection of half-baked ideas and images that don't amount to much.
The acting is generally Skinemax quality which is to be expected in a low budget horror flick. Brian Brady as Michael is particularly ineffectual, delivering his lines with all the personality of a power-point presentation - with subtly exaggerated gestures and facial reactions for bad measure. His inability to physically portray a man worn down by his own ambitions are a detriment to the film. Steve Gagliano, also a producer and veritable second-fiddle on the film, certainly looks the role of the mystery man but his performance elicits more giggles than menace. The one bright light here is Charlene Miller as Alyssa. She takes a one-dimensional genre-device of a role and breathes some life into it. While she doesn't overcome the clunky dialogue she does deliver it with an effortless charm. She's especially good when not speaking at all and simply reacting and inhabiting the character.
Ultimately Forever is a film big on ideas but short on execution. The genre elements are strong enough that fans will have much to enjoy, in particular the make-up effects work again masterminded by Del Vecchio. There's no question he has talent and a natural eye for cinema, something that is very rare in today's indie scene. With some stronger material there's no telling what he can accomplish. I look forward to seeing his next film and hope that he finds a writer that can provide him with a more complete blueprint from which he can flex his movie muscles.
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