Forever's Not So Long

I can't say that I've seen a great many short films over the years, and there have been fewer still that made a particular impression. 'Forever's not so long,' though, I revisit somewhat frequently.

A few major full-length features have played in a similar narrative space, but in my mind none have had as much lasting power. At only 13 minutes, 'Forever's not so long' presents a concentrated microcosm of an emotional journey that may get watered down in a longer format. Panic, despair, and loneliness mingle as inescapable destruction spells the impending fate of protagonist George (Garrett Murray) and, well, a lot of other people, too.

When George runs into a woman in the street (Marielena Logsdon) struggling with the same crisis, they agree to spend the last hours of their lives together. What follows is a humorous distillation of a relationship, complete with petty arguments, trivial small talk, and disagreements over recipes. When the moment arrives and time has run out, George and the unnamed woman share a last instance of honesty before everything ends.

Considered by themselves, the various aspects of this short aren't much to write about. The acting is fine. The camera work and production values are serviceable. The screenplay is more notably commendable, perhaps, as is the subtle music by Robert Andersen that nevertheless helps set the mood throughout.

This is definitely a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; it's the way 'Forever's not so long' comes together that makes it so great and draws us back again and again. This is true most of all in the final moments, where screenplay, music, writing, and acting converge into the perfect capstone. There's no reason why it should be so deeply affecting, but the final shot is at once both very simple and very profound, and even beautiful.

This isn't a greatly artistic short with lots to say - it's a short telling a simple story, but in that simplicity it somehow manages to cut more deeply than more ambitious pictures. I was immediately enraptured by 'Forever's not so long' when I first watched it, and it remains just as weirdly captivating 12 years later.

Easy to find online, and very much worth your time.