I Love You Forever—RomCom Turned Nightmare Relationship

When Mackenzie meets Finn on a night out, she doesn’t think it will turn into anything. But after she slides into his DMs, her world turns from mundane to a romcom—and then a nightmare.

I Love You Forever, marketed as a “subversive” romantic comedy is in fact a painful horror film about a young woman deep in the throes of an abusive relationship. While she is never physically injured, Sofia Black-D’Elia’s Mackenzie is insulted, manipulated, and screamed at in a series of triggering montages that were so vivid I was frequently forced to look away.

Visceral Realism

On a directorial level, this film is a masterpiece. This was Cazzie David’s and her co-directing partner Elisa Kalani’s feature directing debut, but I wouldn’t have known it from watching. Aside from just the abusive scenes, even the interactions between Mackenzie and her friends were well-shot and felt like they were adding something meaningful to the narrative. Although I don’t know if I would clamor to see David as an actor (she played Ally, Mackenzie’s disaffected best friend), I would certainly love to see her direct again.

Part of what made this film worth watching is that it felt distinctly real. Mackenzie’s pain didn’t feel trotted out to entertain viewers or get easy clicks. Instead, it encapsulated the slow pull of an early relationship that’s turning abusive and what it’s like to be in the thick of it. Its success is also part of its downfall—I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the film to anyone, given how viscerally triggering it was to me despite, fortunately, never having been in an abusive relationship myself.

Still, though, I commend David and Kalani, who also wrote the film, for their commitment to realism and having women behind the camera. The writers, directors, editor, and cinematographer were all women, which is in stark contrast to last year’s It Ends With Us, which featured a male director who himself is accused of abuse of power, and Woman of the Hour, which was directed by Anna Kendrick but written, edited, and executive produced entirely by men.

Comedic Moments

For how dark the subject matter is, there are quite a few stand-out comedic line deliveries from Mackenzie and her friends. Ally referred to Mackenzie’s hookup as a “human vape pen” and her own boyfriend as “basically Ponyboy” (who, by the way, is not 13 anymore). 

The best line of the episode, however, goes to Mackenzie herself. When asked about a man she was seeing who did less than the bare minimum, she replied: “They give us their crumbs and we cherish them as though they were caviar”. Not only humorous, but also poetic metaphor.

The comedy, which bonded them and established a legitimate relationship in the good times, fell flat during Mackenzie’s time of true emotional need. Neither Ally nor the third member of their trio, Lucas (Jon Rudnitsky) were able to provide comfort or tough love to their friend. It physically pained me to watch them struggle to provide comfort and guidance or even just shit talk a misbehaving boyfriend, especially given the fact that they’d seen what Finn (Ray Nicholson) did to Mackenzie’s mental health. It made for the weakest part of the film.

Friendship & Abuse

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I Love You Forever was a painful yet at-times funny depiction of an emotionally abusive relationship. While it masqueraded as a romantic comedy for the first third, once it flipped the switch there was no turning back the clock. There should be strong trigger warnings given to anyone who considers watching this film, but for those who feel comfortable, it is well worth the watch. Sofia Black-D’Elia does a great job capturing the essence of Mackenzie in both the happy times and the bad, making for a compelling 90 minute narrative. 

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