Rating: 3.5/5
Synopsis:
Halle Berry’s career has been quiet the past few years, but a return to the horror genre turns out to be a good choice. She plays a reclusive mother who lives in the woods with her two boys. She has instructed them that they must wear a rope connecting them to the house whenever they go to find food. This is to deter the evil that lurks within the woods, ready to take them when they are most vulnerable. But when one of the boys starts to question the validity of his mother’s claims, the family is forced to reckon with a reality that none of them are prepared for.
Positives:
I was intrigued with the premise since the previews aired. That being said, it seemed likely that the story would be underwhelming. I’m happy to report that “Never Let Go” is a surprisingly effective little thriller. It manages to make the most of its runtime, crafting a story that instills self doubt in the audience. We are never truly sure what is happening or who is telling the truth. The constant back and forth worked well as I shifted perspectives on numerous occasions. This must have been a difficult story to execute due to the commitment of the premise. What could have been a silly, over the top horror story unfolds into a surprisingly thoughtful tale about parenthood, family, truth and trust. I even noticed some interesting parallels to the COVID pandemic and the uncertainty people had during that time. We were constantly being fed information from many perspectives that confused us more, not to mention the sheltered setting we were forced into. The story uses a similar format in a great way.
It would have been easy to lose interest in the premise had the cast not been so effective. Halle Berry delivers a committed performance as the overprotective mother. She does such a good job at giving us nuggets of belief that she is just trying to protect her children. But there are enough circumstances where we start to question her judgment. This is the same for the two child actors, who give equally convincing performances. They are asked to do some heavy lifting pertaining to the subject matter. There are some wonderfully creepy moments when the evil entity starts toying with the family. The thrills are enhanced by the sound design, playing nicely into the quiet moments when a jump scare is awaiting the audience. Credit to director Alexandre Aja for balancing the story well enough to keep audiences guessing until the very end.
Negatives:
Nothing can take away from the eerie tension building and great performances, but tying the story together is where the writing falls short. The film is very effective until the final ten minutes. I left my showing more confused than when the movie started. Playing with the truth is an effective tool for most of the runtime, but as the final reveals are made…the story seems to contradict itself. It tries to do a lot, crumbling under the weight of its own ambitions. I feel like the ambiguity of the ending could have been less contradictory and more unsettling. I’ve seen a handful of movies do this effectively, so seeing the potential makes me wish the film ended on a more satisfying note.
Conclusion:
“Never Let Go” is a chilly, thoughtful story that manages to make the most of its remote setting and tense premise. It plays nicely with perspective, challenging the audience as to what is real and what is our imagination. Halle Berry and her young supporting actors do a great job in conveying the lingering threat throughout the story. While the ending is less than effective, the story does enough to warrant a watch for those looking for a fresh horror movie. It may not be the most memorable thriller of the year but it’s certainly strong enough to earn a recommendation.
