Two twin brothers living with their mother in a house deep in the woods see their lives turned upside down when one of them commits a forbidden act.
Nolan (the prodigious Percy Daggs IV) lives with his twin brother Samuel (the expressive Anthony B. Jenkins) and their mother (the disturbing Halle Berry) in an old house in the heart of a forest haunted by evil entities. When they run out of supplies, all three must go mushroom picking and squirrel hunting at the risk of their lives. In order to protect themselves from Evil, they gird themselves with a rope connecting them to the house. One day, Nolan, who, like Samuel, neither sees nor hears the creatures of the forest, questions the mother’s beliefs.
Written by KC Coughlin and Ryan Grassby, screenwriters of Mean Dreamsby Nathan Morlando, and The King Tideby Christian Sparks, Never Let Go is a horror drama that is likely to make more than one person wince with its multiple twists and its nebulous ending. French filmmaker experienced in genre cinema, notably the slasher (High voltage) and the survival thriller (Oxygen), Alexandre Aja fortunately makes the most of a script that goes off in various directions.
In collusion with director of photography Mike McLaughlin (The King Tide), Aja transforms a lush Vancouver forest into a place worthy of the most terrifying children’s stories, such as Hansel and Gretelby the Brothers Grimm, and Little Thumbby Charles Perrault. Rather than ogres and witches, the director presents horrible creatures, which are reminiscent of the mutants evolving in his remake of Wes Craven’s horror classic. The Hills Have Eyes.
In addition to reserving some shock effects and fueling an anxious atmosphere as desired, Alexandre Aja masterfully directs his actors, thus ensuring a beautiful range of emotions and a feeling of empathy from the viewer towards the characters. Thus, this story of a broken family that a mother weakened by traumatic memories tries to maintain with the energy of despair proves to be upsetting in places. Similarly, the rivalry between the two brothers provides some very credible and touching moments.
Unfortunately, in their desire to explore different avenues, to embrace various genres at once and to orchestrate twists and turns, the scriptwriters only succeed in testing the spectator’s patience. A long-winded horror drama with sometimes heavy symbolism, Never Let Go crashes flat like an M. Night Shyamalan movie.
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Horror drama
Never Let Go (VF: Never give up)
Alexandre Aja
Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins
1 h 41