Short Film Review: “Forever Allie”

Dir: Ricardo Ramos
USA • Sci-Fi • 7 Mins

After the sudden loss of her girlfriend, a young woman, Iris, discovers a gift that allows her to watch their love story unfold.

Ricardo Ramos’s innovative and compelling sci-fi short is mostly comprised of snapshots of the tragic relationship between Allie and Iris as it evolves and comes to a devastating end.

A clever approach from director Ricardo Ramos was to film this short about emerging technology on a smartphone, which he does exceedingly well, making the absolute most of the up-and-coming and ever-evolving format to the point where you wouldn’t know it was filmed on a mobile phone.

With added social commentary about the growing division and unrest in our society, this film has a lot to say and is far more a simple story of love and loss. At its core, the film seems to be more about our over-reliance on technology to be happy. 

There are some great visual effects in the mix. A holographic skin indicator effect is particularly well done. The two leads have great chemistry and are a very believable couple. And with a nice twist, this rounds out to be a great little film that feels like it could evolve into being part of a much bigger project with important things to say.

Forever Allie has a really cool and intriguing concept that’s brought to life with some great performances, interesting effects, clever scripting and clear direction.

8/10

Forever Allie was nominated for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Best Mobile Film at our 2022 film festival.

Reviewed by Philip Pugh