Alexandre Aja, known for delivering both hits (like High Tension and Crawl) and misses (like Mirrors and Horns), brings us Never Let Go, a supernatural thriller that walks the line between suspense and frustration. Starring Halle Berry as a fiercely protective mother, the film sets up an intriguing premise but struggles to deliver a satisfying conclusion.
Set in a remote forest, the story centers on Berry’s character, "Momma," who lives with her twin sons, Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) and Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins). Their life is one of survival and strict rules. According to Momma, an evil presence lurks outside their home, and the only way to avoid its wrath is to never venture outside without being tethered to the house by ropes. This eerie setup establishes the primary tension of the film: the uncertainty of whether this “evil” is real or a figment of Momma’s disturbed mind.
Aja masterfully builds suspense early on, aided by Maxime Alexandre’s atmospheric cinematography. The dark, shadowy forest and the isolated house feel both oppressive and protective. The camera work, combined with a twinkling fairy-tale score, evokes comparisons to Hansel and Gretel, as the children, much like those lost in the woods, navigate a world of unknown dangers. Berry’s performance is committed if uneven, portraying Momma as a woman teetering on the edge of madness, with her gaunt appearance and haunted eyes reflecting her desperation and maternal love.
The film's most compelling moments come from the dynamic between the two boys and their mother. Nolan, the more skeptical of the two, begins to question the truth behind his mother’s warnings. When he ventures outside without his rope and suffers no immediate consequence, the seed of doubt is planted. This conflict between belief and doubt drives much of the film's tension, as the audience, too, is left questioning whether the evil is real or merely the manifestation of Momma’s paranoia.
While this ambiguity works in the film’s favor for a time, it eventually becomes its downfall. Aja spends much of the runtime teasing the possibility that Momma may be delusional, and while this uncertainty is intriguing at first, it drags on too long. The film becomes preoccupied with this question, sacrificing deeper exploration of its characters or its themes. For a movie that sets up such an interesting premise—examining the nature of faith, trust in parents, and the dangers of overprotectiveness—it barely scratches the surface of these ideas.
The horror elements, too, are underwhelming. Though Aja knows how to craft a jump scare, Never Let Go relies too heavily on them, offering little in the way of genuine terror. Since Momma is the only character who can see the evil, the audience is distanced from the danger, reducing the impact of the supposed threat. The pacing suffers as a result, with long stretches where little happens aside from watching the family scrape by in their increasingly dire situation.
When the film finally reaches its climax, it leaves the audience with more questions than answers. Without spoiling the ending, suffice it to say that it feels unsatisfying, as if the filmmakers themselves couldn’t decide whether the evil was real or not. This indecision undermines much of the tension that had been built, leaving viewers frustrated and disengaged.
2/5
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