‘Never Let Go’ Fantastic Fest 2024 Review

Modern master of horror Alexandre Aja has shaped the contemporary genre landscape with both his original works (such as High Tension) and his takes on established franchises (such as The Hill Have Eyes and Piranha). Most recently, the director has paired with iconic actor Halle Berry for his latest film, Never Let Go. While the film has plenty of star power along with quite the horror pedigree behind the camera, Aja’s latest lays the groundwork for a fascinating modern fairytale but stumbles at the finish line, leaving viewers with way more questions than answers.

Berry stars as Momma who lives deep in the woods with her twin sons Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) and Sam (Anthony B. Jenkins) and their dog Koda. According to Mama, the house is made of an ancient wood that keeps them safe from the evil that lurks outside their door. On top of that, if they want to leave the house, they have to use a rope to make sure they’re connected to the house. As long as they’re connected to it, the evil can’t touch them. At least according to Momma. 

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But Nolan starts to doubt her demands and if the evil really exists,which Aja smartly plays with here. He wants to prevent a High Tension situation where the reveal is she was crazy the whole time. To be blunt, we’ve seen that so many times before that most viewers can clock the twist from a mile away. So it is refreshing to see Aja and writers KC Coughlin and Ryan Grassby try to subvert those expectations. Even with an early reveal that only Momma can see the evil, connoting that she is just mentally ill, Aja is still able to craft tension that has you questioning what’s really happening until the very end.

Disappointingly, though, Never Let Go fails to stick the landing as the narrative’s desire to keep things vague is at odds with the narrative’s ample questions and hints at world-building. Aja hints at opening things up only to shut the book without any real explanation of what we just saw. Now, not all films need explicit lore dumps or mounds of exposition—that can weigh down a story more than help it in many cases. But with a story that is explicitly asking questions that are never answered, it’s frustrating and leaves the film feeling frustratingly obtuse.

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It’s a shame because the performances on screen are exceptional, especially from the two young actors Jenkins and Daggs. Berry may be the big draw, but these two actors form the film’s emotional core as we watch their sibling relationship morph and shift into something no child should ever have to confront. Their performances alongside Berry’s make Never Let Go feel so dire, sucking us in to their family drama before fully unleashing some type of evil that stalks them from between the trees.

The world is lush and cinematographer Maxime Alexandre, a frequent Aja collaborator, makes the surrounding woods feel like something out of a fairytale. That’s also augmented by a stunning score by ROB, who is able to both capture child-like wonder and anxiety through his musical prowess. 

On a technical level, Never Let Go is gorgeous, a feast for the eyes as each frame reveals another feat in production design, sound design, and cinematography. Unfortunately, the script isn’t strong enough to carry this all on its shoulders. If the story was more committed in one way or the other, then perhaps this family-focused horror thriller would have a stronger impact. But sadly, this is a film that gets lost in the woods and never really finds its way out. 

Tags: Fantastic Fest 2024

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