After weeks of endlessly listening to people around me as well as the internet hype the recent Netflix series FOREVER, I decided it was time for me to give it a watch as well. The series has a total of eight episodes each spanning over 40 minutes and because of its successful run, it has already been renewed for a second season.
Set In the city of Los Angeles in the year 2018, Forever tells the story of two black teenage lovers- Justin and Keisha. Justin is a young African American teenager with ADHD from a financially stable family and plays basketball for his school team . He has lived his whole life under strict control by his mother from fear of him choosing the wrong path.
Keisha on the other hand comes from a family of indigent background, is a sprinter with the intentions of going pro. She lives with just her mother who struggles to make ends meet with high expectations for her daughter's future.
The two teens meet at a party and immediately hit it off. Keisha reminds Justin that they were once school mates as kids and both start to reconnect once again. Sparks started to fly and it became obvious that the two were meant to be more than friends. They ended up kissing passionately but unfortunately had to part ways as the party came to an end.
They kept communicating via telephone even after the party agreed to meet the next day for shopping.
Justin and Keisha enjoy their date together until a misunderstanding ruins their bonding time with Keisha telling Justin to never talk to her again thinking he was just out to play with her vulnerability. It is revealed to Justin that the reason Keisha acted the way she did was because of an intimate tape of her which was released by her ex-boyfriend Tariq and she felt Justin was only with her because he thinks she's a slut. The release of the tape traumatized her so badly she had to leave her previous school which she was on scholarship by the way for an all girls catholic school her mother can barely afford.
Realizing that Keisha is carrying all this burden on her own, Justin makes every effort to win her back and after a series of efforts mixed with convincing, Justin is able to win her and the two officially start dating again.
Their relationship is no walk in the park as the a lot of complications keep popping up one of which is Tariq, the ex who just won't stay away. He keeps trying to win her back despite what he did going as far as swindling his way into taking Keisha to prom, a development that leads to a breakup initiated by Justin.
The couple make up later on, this time with effort from Keisha who travels out Los Angeles with her friend to go look for Justin after he blocked her from calling him. The two make up once more and their love story continues stronger than it has ever been.
The rest of the first season revolves around Keisha getting accepted into college after highschool and Justin declining his choosing to pursue a career in music- his life long passion. He becomes an unpaid assistant to a beat maker from downtown who is able to meet after accompanying Keisha to make her hair at her aunt's place. Keisha and Justin's relationship is bathed with lots of ups and downs however the series ends with both them being in a good place despite walking different paths.
Watching this series I thought I was definitely going to love it as I have always been a fan of high school love drama but this particular series was not one of them. One of the many things I could not stand in the movie was Justin's almost unnatural attraction towards Keisha. At some point i felt this isn't love anymore but more like an obsession because for some reason no matter how bad things turn out between them even when it is obviously her fault Justin will always come back. I guess this is what modern day love looks like and trust I am not a fan of it
There are a lot of things I'd love to complain about in the movie but hey no movie is perfect right. Overall I'll give the movie a solid 4.2 just because I was able to watch through it without falling asleep other than that nothing really excited me about the series and I am almost positive I won't be watching the next season or maybe I will just experience disappointment all over again
Thank you.
Pictures were gotten from IMDb