Film Review: Forever Mine (1999)
Some people may get out of one major trouble only to get into another. This is situation protagonist of Forever Mine, 1999 romantic drama written and directed by Paul Schrader, finds himself in. Plot begins in 1973 Miami where Alan Ripley (played by Joseph Fiennes), once promising student of economics, works as cabana boy in one of its elite hotels. He is forced to make ends meet this way because he has spent few years in prisons over being involved in a drug deal. Ripley is determined to live straight and refuses offers of his friend and former partner Javier Cesti (played by Mark Laresca) to return to dealing. While working in a hotel he notices Ella Brice (played by Gretchen Mol), beautiful woman who is one of the guests. He falls hopelessly in love with her and, much to his delight, she falls in love with him. Passionate torrid affair is complicated due to Ella being married to Mark Brice (played by Ray Liotta), powerful New York City councilman. Ella thinks of the affair as a fling, but Alan remains obsessed with her and follows her to New York. There her husband becomes aware of Alan and reacts first by using political connections to frame him for drug charges and, later, by organising prison escape during which Alan should be killed. Alan survives, but he is terribly disfigured. He finally accepts Javier’s offers, gets involved in drug smuggling business and takes identity of attorney Manuel Esquema. In 1987 Esquema is powerful figure, with deep political and organised crime connections. Brice, who is now under federal investigation over various financial crimes, arranges meeting with Esquema, hoping that his influence would help reduce his prison sentence and completely unaware that Esquema is actually man he had tried to kill many year ago. Esquema comes to New York, contemplating whether he would get his revenge, Ella or both.
Forever Mine is one of the more obscure films of its time, which is somewhat surprising, because its author Paul Schrader used to be one of the most respected figures of New Hollywood. There are two main reasons for that. First is that it was made in British-Canadian co-production, with the studio going bankrupt shortly after production and having its regular premiere on Starz cable network instead in cinemas. The second can be attributed to its plot and style, which is completely at odds with dark gritty urban dramas and merciless dissection of the dark side of American society like those in Taxi Driver or American Gigolo that made Schrader famous. Instead, Forever Mine is unapologetically old fashioned melodrama with slightly “noirish” vibes, with protagonist who is, despite being obsessive stalker in the first and ruthless gangland boss in the second part, portrayed as some sort tragic romantic hero. The only trace of Schrader’s social criticism can be found in references to Watergate scandal, which are followed by Reagan era Iran Contra scandals, which gives some sort of backdrop to the plot in the second half, suggesting that things got even worse with US government being in cahoots with Latin American drug lords.
Joseph Fiennes plays this contradictory character well, showing that those roles, like the one played in Shakespeare in Love happen to be his forte. Ray Liotta is, on the other hand, somewhat less interesting because his portrayal of sinister corrupt villain doesn’t offer anything new. Gretchen Mol, on the other hand, has good chemistry with Fiennes and handles her complex role of a woman torn between passion, duty and her own religious beliefs well; and her performance also include some steamy love scenes with nudity. Forever Mine is made attractive with great care about period details, as well as very good cinematography by John Bailey, as well as music soundtrack by Angelo Badalamenti which sets the film’s romantic and melancholic atmosphere. The ending is a little bit overmelodramatic, but Forever Mine is still a good and unjustly underrated film that could be recommended to the fans of old school melodramas Hollywood used to make in its golden days.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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