Forever Yours

Elliott Louis McKee

Elliott Louis McKee grew up amidst the scenic landscapes of New Zealand’s South Island, eventually studying Film and Philosophy at the University of Auckland. Since moving to Berlin in 2011, Elliott has worked as a musician, actor and filmmaker. ’Forever Yours’ is Elliott’s 4th short film and further showcases a fondness for darker and twisted narratives

Director Statement

I met someone at a party once who radiated compassion. Her boyfriend had been in a serious accident a couple years earlier and she, although he was no longer the person she had met, was his caretaker. This is not the sort of love I was familiar with. Leaving the party I often thought about her; her dedication, her kindness, her sacrifice and grace through love’s ultimate trial.
For another filmmaker this would be a beautiful premise from which to make a film that celebrates human love in its most true and selfless form. Unfortunately I don’t make those sort of films.
I needed to corrupt it somehow. More often than not, in my experience – even with best intentions- what we call romantic love is primarily a selfish act. A means to possess, to delude ourselves, to postpone necessary self examination. It’s an addiction, an obsession and just like cinema, a potent instrument for manipulation.
‘Forever Yours’ is therefore a ‘love story’ inasmuch as it’s a manipulation piece. One that I hope sucks the audience in with the same feelings of hope, admiration and warmth that I felt when leaving the party that night – and betrays them so heartlessly that the often self-serving contortions of romantic love are not so easily forgotten.