A twenty-year-old gay photographer in L.A. Ethan tries to forget every man after having sex for one night. After one such night, his friend Dennis invites him on a trip to Palm Springs where they meet new friends. Between them develops a rival relationship intertwined with jealousy and emotional hurt.
I’ll Love You Forever… Tonight (1992)
Independent film from 1992, written and directed by Edgar Bravo, which is set in Palm Springs, California, and follows a group of gay friends from Los Angeles. The film features themes of self-discovery, emotional healing, and the impact of past traumas on present relationships. The characters are depicted with some level of respect and complexity, which was rare for the time it was made. The film is shot in black and white, which gives it a gritty feel. The film was a first effort by the director, Edgar Bravo and it was good to see familiar mountains and palm trees as the background, but the resort where they stayed was not shown.
“I’ll Love You Forever… Tonight” explore the theme of self-discovery, emotional healing and the impact of past traumas on present relationships. The protagonist Ethan (Paul Marius) struggle with commitment and love is likely to be a central aspect of the story, and the bar setting of the opening scene sets the tone for the aimless and unfocused lives of the young gay men in the film. The mention of incest in the protagonist’s background suggests that the movie may also address the issue of child abuse, and how it affects the protagonist’s life and relationships.
Picture is more impressive technically than narratively. Jeff Crum’s conventionalized publication cinematography provides an entertaining strain with the more realistic repetitious conversation. Repeating optical pattern of an overhead shot of a clogged L.A. expressway forcefully transmits the anomie of allure characters.
