This tender coming-of-age drama, set in a Jehovah’s Witness congregation in the 90s, explores the themes of first love, sexual awakenings, and the clash of personal desires with the sense of community. The film follows Jamie as she moves in with her aunt and uncle who are part of the group. Initially wary of their close-knit community, things start to shift when she meets Marike, a charming young Witness tasked with welcoming Jamie into the fold. The two instantly hit it off and develop a strong bond that ultimately results in widespread tension, challenging the young lovers’ own principles.
Marking the feature directing debut for Sarah Watts and Mark Slutsky, the film taps beautifully into the whirlwind of emotion caused by forbidden teenage infatuation within the rigid constraints of religious conditioning. Sharply written, shot, and acted, You Can Live Forever is ultimately carried by Anwen O’Driscoll, whose nuanced, naturalistic performance gives the film its heartbeat.
Q&A Sept 30
Presented by
Media Partner
Anwen O’Driscoll, June Laporte, Liane Balaban, Deragh Campbell, Antoine Yared, Hasani Freeman, Tim Campbell
Canada
2022
English
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Thieves' Highway
Set in the world of trucking, this unusual but effective drama fuses elements of film noir and neo-realism. It was director Jules Dassin's last American movie before the blacklist forced him into exile in Europe. Intro by Mike Archibald.
Train Dreams
A lovely, ruminative movie set in the Pacific Northwest in the first half of the last century. Robert (Joel Edgerton) is a lumberjack, a taciturn man who comes to appreciate the life slipping between his fingers.
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
Baby Amelie believes herself to be a god. Her parents (Belgian diplomats in 60s Japan) can barely cope -- but find the perfect nanny to restore order in this delightful animated feature.
The Librarians
Dispatches from the front line of America's culture wars (and ours too): librarians speak out about the war against ideas, history, freedom of expression and sexual identity, a campaign in which an open mind is the ultimate enemy.
Left-Handed Girl
Co-written and edited by Sean Baker (Anora), Shi-Ching Tsou's heartwarming solo feature debut follows a single mom in Taipei who is too consumed with her noodle stand to keep tabs on her five-year-old daughter's burgeoning shoplifting habit.
Credits
Executive Producer
John Christou
Producer
Robert Vroom
Screenwriter
Sarah Watts, Mark Slutsky
Cinematography
Gayle Ye
Editor
Amélie Labrèche
Production Design
André Chamberland
Original Music
CFCF
Directors
Photo by EK Bowell
Mark Slutsky
Mark Slutsky is an award-winning writer and director based in Montreal. His shorts Never Happened (2015) and Sorry, Rabbi (2011) both premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2013, he co-directed and produced the animated short I’m One, Too! for the 44th season of Sesame Street. He also writes for video games, winning the 2021 Canadian Screen Award for Best Video Game Narrative for his work on Compulsion Games’ We Happy Few. You Can Live Forever (2022), co-written and co-directed with Sarah Watts, is his first feature.
Photo by Kayleigh Choiniere
Sarah Watts
Sarah Watts is a writer/director from Montreal. Her previous work has been shown at Slamdance. When not making films, she works as a sports writer and editor.