NEVER LET GO
**
Directed by Alexander Aja.
Starring Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins.
Horror, US, 102 minutes, Certificate 15.
Released in cinemas in the UK on September 27th by Lionsgate
It's been a good year for people holed up in the woods hiding away from threatening monsters, if you’re into that sort of thing. Only a couple of months after ARCADIAN and THE WATCHED we return once again to a family unit under siege from shadowy, malevolent creatures who lurk among the trees. And once again we are reminded of the limits, in both storytelling and entertainment value, that this particular sub-genre offers.
Set at an unspecified point in time after an unspecified event, we meet Halle Berry’s “Momma”, a haunted woman doing her best to survive and protect her two young sons, the devoted Samuel and the more carefree Nolan. Hiding away from an entity known only as “The Evil”, which has seemingly laid waste to the world, the family ritualistically venture out into the woods every day to forage for food, all whilst remaining tethered to their home by a length of rope which protects them from the malevolent force that is all too eager to claim them, often arriving in the form of visions of figures from Momma’s troubled past. As supplies dwindle, the family now feel the pressure from within as relationships fracture and the Evil makes its way closer and closer to them all.
At first NEVER LET GO sounds like an interesting proposition; superstar Halle Berry teaming up with New French Extremist, Alexandre Aja, who looks set to stretch his commercial muscles further after the entertaining CRAWL. What we are treated to however is something that amounts to little more than an ambiguous trifle that struggles not only with its light plot but also with keeping the audience's attention. The ambiguity comes into play almost from the beginning, leaving the audience second guessing the motivation of its protagonist instead of becoming more involved with the story, and the world around it, itself. The only real surprise here is the near complete lack of scares and tension, which from this director seems like a real missed opportunity.
There is one genuine shock on offer here that threatens to place the film on an interesting track, but Aja feels reluctant to explore this intriguing direction. A glimmer of interest from an academic standpoint could be that the film offers a subtextual commentary on the belief that certain people place on figures of authority no matter what other evidence is presented. This film however stretches itself far too thin and cannot seem to make up its own mind about what is really going on or what it is actually about, that all interest on the audience’s part has long gone.
The film's biggest strengths lie in its central trio of performances. Halle Berry does well here as a woman in a particular kind of crisis, reminding the audience of how powerful a performer she can be. It is the performances of Percy Daggs IV, as Nolan, and Anthony B. Jenkins that really impress here however. Always believable and completely sincere they both manage to rise above the material and hold the audience’s attention. As a calling card for these two young actors, the film can be considered a success. Unfortunately, like its characters, the film can only wander so far as it searches for anything interesting or exciting to make it truly memorable.
Iain MacLeod
