Film Review: Never Let Go

I don’t think I could confidently say that Never Let Go 100% works as a whole, but it’s made with such confidence, and full of great moments and performances that you could almost give it a pass. The story, what little of it I can give away, follows an unnamed Mother (Halle Berry) and her two young twin boys, Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins) and Nolan (Percy Daggs IV), who live in a seemingly post-apocalypictic world after something called “the evil” corrupted all of humanity, resulting in everyone killing each other off, leaving the family to fend for themselves in an isolated house in the woods.

The house is blessed and keeps the family protected, and the Evil is unable to harm them outside so long as they keep a rope around them that is attached to the house. They can never take the rope off at any point. The Mother takes this very seriously because a simple touch from the Evil could corrupt one of them and get them all killed. She even forces them to recite a sort of prayer whenever they do end up off the rope. If they were to be possessed by the Evil, they can’t repeat the words. They have managed so far, but it is a struggle to survive.

Written by Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby, and directed by Alexandre Aja, the film invites comparisons to recent post-apocalyptic works such as A Quiet Place, Bird Box, even something like It Comes At Night. But I think it does a good job separating itself mainly by the almost fable-esque vibe it’s going for. It is littered with symbols, spiritual references, brief narrations that feel like you’re being read a fairy tale. And like with a lot of fairy tales, things are not immediately what they seem. Though, if I’m being honest, it wouldn’t take most viewers long to realize what is really going on here.

Even discussing the main subtext is a spoiler because it gives away the whole game, but I will say the horror of the film is drawn not just by the mysteries of what is out in the world potentially on the hunt for us, but also what is resides in our own homes, the people we considered loved ones, and the ways they can sometimes fail us, even with the best of intentions, and how those failures and inability to seek help can create these lingering effects through generational trauma. This is something we see through the two kids, who play a much greater role in the film than one would initially expect.

The performances carry this movie well. Obviously, Halle Berry is a pro, and she can hold her own no matter the kind of material you throw her way, and her role here is very vulnerable and complicated. But Anthony B. Jenkins and Percy Daggs IV are surprisingly fantastic, dealing with some heavy material and really selling the emotional beats. You really buy them as brothers, and I really enjoyed seeing their dynamic, especially as it grew more conflicted in the latter half.

Never Let Go is very well made. Aja is an absolute pro, and he knows how to create a tense atmosphere and build suspense. It’s a compelling change of pace compared to some of his previous films, at least in terms of its tone and feel. I think the film doesn’t quite cohere on a thematic level, and there are aspects of it that I found a bit problematic. But I did find the film fairly engaging, and the actors especially made it all worthwhile. Your mileage may vary obviously, it does move at a very methodical pace, and if you take a lot of the character’s actions at face value, instead of as something more metaphorical, it can be frustrating. I found it interesting, which is the least I could ask for, so while it’s not something I’d revisit, I wouldn’t call it a total waste.

Never Let Go is now out in theaters.