Never Let Go

 

Never Let Go
Starring Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins, Matthew Kevin Anderson
Directed by Alexandre Aja

Upon seeing the trailer for "Never Let Go," I got vibes from different movies like "A Quiet Place" and "Bird Box," and I was mostly right in that regard - it's got the same feel as those movies, but there's something different with "Never Let Go" that those other films didn't have, and that's a sense of continuity. It's a film that leaves too many questions open-ended, and throws away its own rules by the third act for reasons unknown, which is a shame because up to that point I was really invested in the story and the surprises along the way, but ultimately I was left with questions with no answers, no matter where I looked: and while some movies work that way, this one left me more annoyed than intrigued.

Living in a shack in the middle of the woods, Momma (Halle Berry) and her twin sons Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) and Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins) live in constant fear of an evil entity living in the woods, according to Momma. She believes the house is blessed and they're safe inside, but since they need to go and scavenge for food, she ties herself and her sons to the house to keep them safe in the wilderness, because their tethers keep them united to the house so the evil in the world can't touch them. As they explore the woods, Momma sees the evil in forms of former family members, but the boys never see it - leaving them to question whether or not there's something really evil out there, or if their mother is losing her grasp on reality.

"Never Let Go" has an intriguing premise that could've been really powerful if it was fully fleshed out, but ultimately it just became another tether to the overall arc that doesn't go as far as it needs to in order for it to get to a conclusion. What could've been a deep introspective study on mental illness and familial curses unravels quickly to a completely nonsensical conclusion that throws its own rules out the window, cheapening the entire product, which comes as no surprise considering it was directed by Alexandre Aja, who directed "High Tension" (if you've seen that movie, you know what I mean).

Halle Berry gives a sound performance as the unnamed mother, a woman who keeps her secrets close to her vest, not letting anyone know whether or not she believes there's some sort of evil out there, or if she's so far gone mentally due to traumas in her past that she wants to shield her children from anything the outside world could threaten them with, all the while being the one causing the most harm. She doesn't allow them to venture too far from home, keeping them tethered to the house like a literal prison, where they must forage for food in the wild. Not finding much, they're resorted to eating tree bark to survive. Is there an evil out there that would get them, or is it in her head? Is she inadvertently killing her children while thinking she's protecting them? These questions are fascinating and thought-provoking, but by the third act it's all but abandoned for the sake of...something else, something I still can't understand.

The two young actors playing her kids are standouts, as both Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins give commanding performances. As Nolan, Daggs is the one who doubts his mother's intentions and repeatedly questions her motives, leading to some shockingly reckless behaviors that threatens the family as a whole - but could also be their saving grace. Conversely, Jenkins' Samuel is steadfast a momma's boy, listening to everything she says and following it to the letter, even when certain events occur that makes it seem like there might not be something evil out there after all.

"Never Let Go" is a frustrating film to see, because you can sense the promise it had, but much like the tethers themselves don't reach far enough to get to a conclusion that makes sense, leaving you more than ready to let go of this mediocre movie in the not-too-distant future.

The Score: C-