I recently went to the Telluride Horror Show and saw a slew of feature films and shorts. Included in the “Uncanny Tales” shorts segment was a Canadian/Venezuelan film titled Forever, Liam about the lengths one family goes to to preserve tradition.
Alejandro and Paula are madly in love. The teenagers spend their days at Paula’s home, embraced by her family. Only her grandfather, Liam, remains distant, watching them silently from his study. Everything changes the night Alejandro asks about the old man. Paula’s parents entrust him with a secret.
Forever, Liam
I was elated when writer/director Guillermo de la Rosa contacted me about his film. Watching Forever, Liam in theaters was a great experience, filled with laughs, surprises, and moments that had me taken aback with a certain level of revulsion. Paula’s (Paula Márquez) family, wanting to preserve their memories of Grandpa Liam, found a taxidermist in Europe to do the deed upon Liam’s death. Decades of trial and error worked in their favor, with the family now being able to keep Liam at home with them — changing his outfits, posing him at his desk with book and pen in hand. Of course, this is highly unusual and Alejandro’s (Andrés García) parents disapprove — but he and Paula are in love. As time goes on, Alejandro is asked to do more and more involving Liam. And after being tasked with changing his outfit, his relationship with Paula changes too.
Forever, Liam is a beautifully-shot piece of work, taking place in darkened rooms that give a cozy, romantic feel that contrasts directly with what is happening on screen. On one hand, you can understand a family’s want to keep a loved one’s memories alive. But on the other hand, taxidermizing a person is not done for a reason. As Forever, Liam plays on, we are more and more unnerved by how easily the family accepts this behavior. The once-amorous darkness begins to feel eerie and wrong, and we aren’t so sure Liam is truly gone, or what plans are for the rest of the family — and Alejandro.
Many people have a fear of the dead, and even more would have a problem touching a deceased person. A lot of the shock and scares in Forever, Liam come from people handling the body, dressing and caring him as if he were an infant. But then the scares are cut with a joke, easing the tension and reminding us that this story is wholly insane. For that, I think Forever, Liam is an incredibly imaginative take on short horror. Like a backyard swing set, we constantly sway from accepting, to stunned, to relieved, and then to appalled. Forever, Liam is a great take on family tradition and the absurdity of it all.
If you ever get the chance to watch Forever, Liam, I highly recommend it, not only for its story of love, but that of not having to deal with loss… for the most part.
Check out more from Guillermo de la Rosa on Instagram and IMDB.
