22. Forever Young; movie review

 

FOREVER YOUNG

Cert 15

99 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex references, drug references

How many of us would turn the clock back to our youth if we had the chance?

Mrs W and I have mused on this hypothetical conundrum many times and agreed we would only want to if we had the knowledge we have accrued over our lives.

Such an opportunity befalls Robyn Smith (Diana Quick) in Henk Pretorius's Forever Young.

Robyn is a 70-year-old author but is on the cusp of giving up her writing because of age-related issues.

Meanwhile, her husband (Bernard Hill) is content to embrace old age by pottering around in the garden and his 'memory room' and taking part in quiz nights.

As Robyn sinks into a pit of regret, an old flame scientist (Mark Jackson) tells her he has successfully created an age-reversing drug.

Thus, she seizes the opportunity of eternal youth, not giving a second thought to the consequences.

Intriguingly, while Robyn's husband resists going back in time, her best friend (Stephanie Beacham) is desperate to be reinvigorated.

Meanwhile,  the scientist faces a dilemma about whether to help his estranged drug addict daughter.

Will she benefit, or will she make the same mistakes?

Forever Young asks many questions about life's decisions and whether we would retread the same path.

But would we really want to move stones left unturned for decades?

Pretorius's movie is low-budget and a tad clunky at times, but it provokes debate and, therefore, is worth watching.

Reasons to watch: Unusual premise

Reasons to avoid: A tad clumsy in parts

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: Very briefly

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? Biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey has gained notoriety for stating that the first person who will live to be 1,000 years old is already among us. He believes there is no cap on how long we can live, depending on what medicines are developed in the future.

The final word. Henk Pretorious: "It was a difficult shoot because there were a lot of 70-plus-year-olds just after Covid, so there were strict practices that we had to keep in mind. Everyone came out very healthy, so we were very happy about that." LRM Online

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