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Momma (Halle Berry) lives in a secluded cabin in a large forest with her two sons, Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) and Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins). According to Momma, a sinister supernatural entity known as "The Evil" has spread across the world and wiped out humanity, and they are the only survivors. If the Evil touches you, you "go bad" and harm others. Momma and her boys venture into the forest daily to forage for whatever food they can, from frogs to tree bark, and they remain connected to their cabin with a rope that keeps them safe from the Evil. The boys must also recite a chant when re-entering the cabin to keep the Evil away. Momma is the only one who can see the Evil, and the force continually taunts her with supernatural visions of dead loved ones, fuelling the matriarch's obsession with keeping her boys safe. However, Nolan grows curious about the situation, wondering if Momma is telling the truth as he begins untying himself from the rope to see what happens. Although Nolan suspects Momma is lying, Samuel remains devoted to her teachings, convinced that the danger is real.
It is clear that screenwriters KC Coughlin and Ryan Grassby (who have a few minor credits to their name) were thinking about franchise potential from the get-go, and Berry has already confirmed that story ideas for sequels and prequels have been written. Never Let Go vaguely defines the Evil in broad strokes as the story unfolds from the perspective of the two children, who seem equally unsure about the entity's capabilities and need to trust their mother's word about its existence. To the film's credit, it becomes more compelling in the final act as the question lingers about whether Evil actually exists and if Momma is telling the truth as Nolan begins pushing the boundaries. However, it closes with a confusing and surprisingly unexciting climax full of trite moments as Aja tries to make us question what's real and what isn't. The only question I kept asking myself was, "Who cares?"
There is no denying Halle Berry's commitment to the film, as she disappears into the character of Momma and is hardly recognisable. The problem is that she is so relentlessly depressive and dour, without a hint of charisma to make her feel human. Although such a character can work in a supporting capacity, she is a wholly uninteresting main character. Since the story is more about the children struggling to survive and learn more about the Evil, they should pick up the slack and give us a reason to care, but unfortunately, they are wholly interchangeable. Again, there is nothing inherently wrong with the performances by newcomers Percy Daggs IV or Anthony B. Jenkins, but the lack of personality - a flaw seemingly imparted by the screenplay - results in hollow, one-note plot ciphers instead of interesting characters.
Aja's execution of the material is state-of-the-art, from the lush locations and Maxime Alexandre's slick cinematography to the unnerving creature design and thick sense of atmosphere. The only technical drawback is the unconvincing CGI flames, but this is not hugely problematic. Unfortunately, this is all mere window dressing that cannot compensate for the script's glaring shortcomings, and the pacing is highly lackadaisical, with too many scenes that do not contribute meaningful information or develop the characters. Aja is in arthouse mode here, striving to create an "elevated" horror movie in the A24 mould (down to folklore links), but such an approach denies any B-grade thrills that might have made the flick more entertaining. In short, Never Let Go is a maddening chore to sit through, with Aja only occasionally enlivening the material with creepy or sinister moments but never managing to make us care.
4.0/10
