THE STORY – When an unspeakable evil takes over the world, the only protection for a mother and her twin sons is their house and strong bond. Needing to stay connected at all times — even tethering themselves with ropes — they must cling to one another and never let go. However, 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.
THE CAST – Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins & William Catlett
THE TEAM – Alexandre Aja (Director), KC Coughlin & Ryan Grassby (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 101 Minutes
Fans of niche horror rejoice at the arrival of Academy Award-winner Halle Berry into the genre. In her latest film, “Never Let Go,” she plays Momma, a woman living with her twin sons in a post-apocalyptic world, stalked by monsters. Captivating and ferocious, Berry’s Momma must fight back against the forces of darkness that are stalking her and her children while facing renewed doubt about the reality of the evil that surrounds her. The end result is an enjoyable and, at times, truly scary film that marks one of Berry’s best work in a long while.
Putatively set in three chapters, “Never Let Go” is almost entirely set in a shoddy wooden cabin deep in the woods. Momma wakes her two children, Nolan and Sammul, each morning to go out to hunt. The young kids are played by Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins, respectively, both first-time actors who stun, particularly in the film’s third act, which focuses almost entirely on them.
But when the trio goes hunting accompanied by their faithful dog, it is not just any hunting excursion. They must each tie their bodies with a thick rope to the foundation of their home and pledge to, you guessed it, “never let go” before they embark on their foraging excursion. Momma warns that if they let go of the rope, they will no longer be protected by the house’s ancient magic and will be touched by the evil spirit that roams the forest and takes on many forms.
If this occurs, she explains, the evil will drive the affected person to kill the others, which is how the world ended in the first place. Momma also reminds her sons that the world was pretty bad even before this calamity befell it and has no qualms in reminding them that he killed their father—and would kill them—when he became possessed. Terrified, the children obey and hunt dutifully for squirrels and rabbits while hewing closely to the rope that binds them home. Upon their return, Momma makes them incant an invocation to keep malevolent spirits away, confirming they are still pure. The time passes, and food dwindles. Meanwhile, Momma can see the spirits of the dead roaming the house, even if Nolan and Sammul cannot.
The plot thickens early on when Nolan begins to question whether the spirits even exist and threatens to run away untethered to the rope. Momma insists that this is what the monsters want him to believe, laying a trap. Sammul believes their mother, but Nolan grows increasingly unsure, increasing the threat to the family.
“Never Let Go” works on a technical and emotional level. As a niche horror film, it contains sufficient jump scares and enough creepy moments to keep you both on the edge of your seat and shifting uncomfortably. Good, seamless editing by Elliot Greenberg complements director Alexandre Aja’s perspective well, with the forest’s many trees providing a particularly good trick for hiding creepy baddies. So, too, does the film’s soundtrack, credited to composter “Rob,” which stays light and tingly and purposefully uneven, keeping you constantly off balance. The persistent darkness of the forest and the wooden house’s creaky, creepy interiors complete a spooky trifecta that makes the movie a genuinely but not overwhelmingly scary experience.
The film also makes sense on an emotional or even intellectual level. The allegories in Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby’s script are not subtle, but they are nevertheless effective. The rope is symbolic, as is the sanctuary home. Momma wants to keep her children safe, so she physically binds them to each other and to her and their abode. Releasing them into the world, a world that was unambiguously cruel and dangerous before it even ended, is difficult to do, perhaps unthinkable. Momma sees the roaming spirits, jaded through her years of suffering and calamity, while the boys do not. She will do anything to keep them safe until one of them will inevitably question her and the world around them. This, too, is symbolic of a child’s growth and rejection of their parents. The movie tells you that danger lies in that path but also the only chance at ultimate growth and redemption.
“Never Let Go’s” muted ambition and measured aspirations are its greatest asset and most obvious flaw. The movie is not trying too hard in any meaningful way. It is not trying too hard to scare you, which is great because the moments when it does so do not feel contrived or forced. It is not trying too hard to provide a deeper meaning to the significance of life beyond some of the most obvious ones about motherhood, home, and growing up, which is also good because anything else would have been a groan-inducing distraction. Instead, it is content to let Berry’s committed, gritty performance do most of the talking in this regard.
But the film also does not try too hard to persuade you that its world is a reality. Instead, it gives you the way out early enough that soon you feel as if you are going through the motions to finish. The compact and tense first two acts give way to a slightly more all-over-the-place finale, which keeps the film from its total potential.
Still, “Never Let Go” is a pretty good movie. There is sufficient ick (remind me never to complain again about post-apocalyptic movies not showing the source of the survivor’s food) and sufficient ack for all but the most cynical horror fans. And the material has enough depth to keep you thinking without laying it on too thick. It may not keep you guessing, but it will keep you anxious and edgy for a good 100 minutes.
