NEVER LET GO (2024)

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Alexandre Aja
Cast: Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins, Stephanie Lavigne, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Christin Park
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Horror)
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 19 September 2024

Synopsis: From visionary director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Crawl) and producers of Stranger Things and Arrival comes NEVER LET GO. In this new psychological thriller, as an evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother, played by Academy Award® Winner Halle Berry (Actress in a Leading Role, 2001 – Monster’s Ball), and her twin sons is their house and their family’s protective bond. Needing to stay connected at all times – even tethering themselves with ropes – they cling to one another, urging each other to never let go. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, the ties that bind them together are severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival.

Movie Review:

To its credit, ‘Never Let Go’ does start off intriguing. Deep in the dark, tangled woods lies a remote cabin where a woman known only as Momma (Halle Berry) lives with her sons, Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins) and Nolan (Percy Daggs IV). According to Momma, the world around them has been infected by evil, and in order to stay not to let the evil touch them, they must tether themselves to the home with thick ropes when they leave the cabin to forage for food. Momma has also instituted a number of rituals when they return home – like reciting a prayer while putting their hands against an ornamental wood or shutting them in the door in the floor to have them experience coming out of the darkness – just so they can stay pure.

Right from the start, director Alexandre Aja makes it clear that whatever evil lies out there, only Momma is able to see – indeed, the manifestations we are shown are that of a hillbilly in a housedress (Kathryn Kirkpatrick) who drools ink and has a tongue like a snake, as well as the boys’ late father (William Catlett), both of whom are eager to have their revenge on Momma for ostensibly causing their deaths. So when Samuel slips during one of their trips out in the woods and breaks his ankle, and Nolan drops his leash to try to save him, Nolan returns home with doubt in his head when he doesn’t see any sign of the evil that Momma claims around him.

Is it all in Momma’s head? Or is there something truly menacing that only Momma can see? That is the fundamental question at the heart of Aja’s film, and depending on your level of patience, you may find yourself intrigued by the numerous twists and turns along the way or simply bored by the number of obvious red herrings. Less intense than slow-burn, Aja builds the story to an unexpected climax at the end of the second act, where a harsh winter that has killed off anything edible in their greenhouse leads Momma to make the desperate decision to kill their family dog for food; and without giving too much away, let’s just say it is at that juncture that Nolan’s doubts reach breaking point.

Unfortunately, despite an interesting third-act turn of events involving a passing hiker (Matthew Kevin Anderson), the plotting never manages to deliver a satisfying payoff. Notably, Aja cannot quite decide if this should be a psychological horror about the monsters within or a real-life terror with demonic visitations and even body horror. Without a smart, satiating ending, we are left wondering if all the ruminations on grief, sanity and rebellion were ultimately inflated, notwithstanding the strong atmospherics in the earlier acts thanks to Aja’s sure-handed direction; in fact, to less charitable viewers, it only reinforces how the earlier plot turns were nonsensical.

Despite its narrative shortcomings, Berry’s tour de performance is still a standout. Drained of glamour, and charged with fierceness, Berry both humanises and grounds the flawed mother figure at the centre of the movie, deftly blurring the lines between protective and paranoid. Both child performers are equally stalwart, displaying equal parts fear and acceptance of their predicament, while reinforcing a convincing sibling relationship that becomes all the more poignant in the last act. Aja has also assembled a top-notch production team, with special mention to the discordant synth-heavy score and deft editing that ensures a largely suspenseful and chilling watch most of the way through.

So though it is hardly the first cabin-in-the-woods horror (nor for that matter, will it be the last), ‘Never Let Go’ does live up to its name for the most part, drawing you into its tale of its parent-and-child relationship which gradually unravels as mistrust and misperceptions set in. What it fails to do however is stick the ending, and like we said, that’s a pity, not only because of its strong set-up, but also because it lets down the commitment of its performers, who to their credit, turn this three-hander into a solid showcase of parenthood and survival. It is also yet again an affirmation of Aja, who remains a genre specialist of intimate stories of people trapped in nightmarish situations, and whom we hope will one day find the strength of material to complement his talent.

Movie Rating:

(Though it lives up to its name for the most part with strong performances and an effectively chilling atmosphere, this psychological horror lacks a smart, satiating ending to stick the landing)

Review by Gabriel Chong