In “You Can Live Forever,” Jaime and Marique do a lot of what lovestruck teenagers do. For example, staring each other seriously or flirting in the back seat of a car. They also knock on doors to convert for Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Well, that last one is going to be a problem for budding lesbians.
Further complicating matters is Jaime (Anne O’Driscoll), who has just moved to a small town in Quebec and has become religious just to be with Marique (June Laporte), a believer who grew up on “Truth”. It is to accompany the vehicle.
Homosexuality and communion of faith have been explored in film before — Sebastian Lelio’s Disobedience, set in the Orthodox Jewish community, is a recent high-profile example — and Mark Slutsky and Sarah Watts’ story benefits from being grounded in Watts’ own experiences growing up. As if to emphasize that the movie is set in that decade, Jaime never seems to take off his flannel and beanie and kisses Marique to the sound of the breeder. Gail Yeh’s cinematography is also very true to its grunge sensibility, with great shades washed out as if they’ve bleached the bold colors.
Otherwise, “You Can Live Forever” sticks to a fairly common coming-of-age trajectory. There’s a sense of missed opportunity in that you see the action through Jaime’s eyes, who are more accepting of her sexuality from the start, leaving Marique a tantalizing blank space. It starts, but only follows Bible studies and double dates with boys. How will Marique rationalize her faith with this new love? Not even the breeder has a song for it.
you can live forever
Unrated. Running time: 1 hour 36 minutes.theater or Available for rent or purchase on most major platforms.
