Forever...
Confessions and a journey worth taking
I am going to freely and honestly admit to two things right now. Firstly, I never read a Judy Blume book. I know and I can hear the collective gasps and envision the pearl clutching from many women on the planet. How have I at 50, with a daughter, never read a Judy Blume book? Well I’ll tell you. I grew up in the Caribbean and even though I got a library membership in primary school, her books were never introduced to me. I was introduced to Enid Blyton and Carolyn Keene. When I got older, the Greek and Roman Mythology stories from my encyclopedia, Sweet Valley High and Sweet Dreams book serials monopolized my reading. I then graduated to Danielle Steele, Sidney Sheldon and Robert Ludlum, mainly because those were the adult authors my mother read. The thing is for all my reading I never came across Judy Blume. She was not featured in the library (maybe they didn't stock her) because I spent a lot of time trawling the aisles and often didn’t leave without the maximum number of books allowed. Her books also weren’t being passed around in class by my friends unlike other books. I’m going to cause another small uproar, but I also never read RL Stine and given that I am such a horror nerd, that also surprised me that they never came on my radar until Netflix started adapting them. So thank you to Netflix for that introduction and for this one!
Netflix’ new series Forever is “inspired” by the Judy Blume book of the same name. I saw the trailer and immediately knew that I wanted to watch it and even more, I wanted it to be a shining example of black excellence. I was not disappointed, in fact I was impressed, inspired and extremely proud!
This brings me to my second confession, teen / young adult movies and series are my guilty pleasure! I have seen most all of them from Beverly Hills 90210 to Dawson’s Creek, from Love and Basketball to To All the Boys, from XO, Kitty to The Summer I Turned Pretty. There has never been a deficit when it comes to teen dramas and young love because frankly, it is a genre that promises neverending ROI. The demographic it target is ever evolving and the genre also appeals to the nostalgic romantics like myself. What appealed to me especially about this new series is the perspective that it was being told from. It is rare to see young black love that isn’t inundated with gang violence or drugs and that doesn’t involve any bloodshed. Additionally, the leads are two beautifully melanated young people, which even writing this brings tears to my eyes. Growing up, it was rare to see two darker skinned leads, often one of the leads would be of a lighter complexion so even seeing this poster feels revolutionary, especially given the current US landscape and the drive to remove diversity and whitewash black history. Colourism and Racism be damned!
Mara Brock Akil, the indomitable creator of such hits as Girlfriends, The Game, Love is and Being Mary Jane, has once again proven that she is a master storyteller! Using the framework of Blume’s book about young love and sexuality, Akil added numerous layers that transformed and elevated the source to a beacon that I’m positive Blume never even imagined the potential. By reimagining the leads as two young black people in LA in 2018, Akil was able to imbue themes of identity, technology, race, parenting and belonging. The story of young love is not original but Akil’s mastery makes this telling equally refreshing and timeless. Watching it, Akil’s respect for the source and integrity emanated from the characters and the dialogue. I especially liked the nod to Katherine and Michael (the names of the leads in Blume’s book). I won’t disclose anymore about that, when you watch it you will catch it. Their placement, like everything else in this series was intentional, honest and expressed a genuine respect for the source material.
Regarding the source material, I believe Akil anticipated the possibility of a backlash from the purists out there, (fans of original source materials that question and reject any variation or divergence). We’ve seen it time and time again, especially when the source materials are beloved and if we’re being honest ‘non-diverse’. To counteract this probable, maybe even inevitable wave of criticism, Akil used the words “inspired by” as opposed to “based on”. I consider myself to be an ‘open-purist’. If I love the original material, I can be quite critical of the adaptation, especially if it’s a page to screen adaptation. See when I read a story, my imagination creates the characters and when they differ from what my mind constructed, I can be miffed BUT if the essence of the character or the adaptation levels up the original, I will embrace it. What I find challenging is when the adaptation veers so far off that you can’t recognize the original. I wrote about this with my review of The Perfect Couple, linked below, if you want to continue this vein of thought…
This adaptation of Forever… LEVELED UP!!
Akil’s modernization of the source as well as the changed perspective by setting it in a black diaspora enabled her to speak to so much more than just sexuality and first loves. That said, the central themes of sexuality and first love still remained the primary focus and were not eclipsed by other themes. By making this adaptation a series as opposed to a movie, it allowed for the inclusion of more thematic layering which elevated the story of Justin and Keisha. As a mom, I especially appreciated and related to the parents in this series. Though they were minor characters, they carried a gravity and authenticity that was undeniable. Karen Pittman, Wood Harris, Xosha Roquemore were so REAL in their reactions and interactions. They provided that space and structure for the leads to experience their story. Through them, the creators of this series were able to open the discourse on parenting and the intersectionality of raising young black kids in this landscape. They were true examples of parents and perfectly cast.
Of course, the main reason this series worked so well is because of the leads. As Justin and Keisha, Michael Cooper Jr. and Lovie Simone were the chef’s kiss of casting. They brought vulnerability and authenticity to these characters with an undeniable chemistry. Watching them as they went on this journey had a transportative quality. I quite literally felt like a passenger in the back seat of their journey. My mom tells me that I get too invested in these series, movies, books and she’s right. When a book or series or movie is done right, it is supposed to transport you to that place with those people. If done right, there should be a voyeuristic quality (not in the perverted way) but you should feel like you’ve been granted access to the inner sanctum. You should feel like you know these characters and you root for them. This series was done right!!! I laughed and cried and got angry along with every one of them! I was INVESTED in their story and their journey. I experienced their joy, and anxiety and fear and doubts and love. Like Justin and Keisha, I didn’t want it to end.
I am happy to say that this series resonated with many others and Netflix has graciously granted us another season. Forever is lightning in a bottle just like first love, once you capture it, it is hard to let it go. This series is a profound reminder of that! Do yourself a favour and watch, no not watch, experience it, it will be worth the journey…