Never Let Go - Review

Never Let Go is a contained psychological horror directed by Alexandre Aja, who has previously directed other horror films such as The Hills Have Eyes and Crawl. The film stars Halle Berry as a protective, now single mother of twin boys, played by Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins, who live in a post-apocalyptic world where they are the only known humans left in existence. Living in a cabin, each day they must be tied to a rope as they hunt for scraps of food, whilst the rope attached to the family home will keep them safe from the ‘Evil’. Although it is unclear when the film is set, Aja drops hints such as a polaroid camera to suggest a near-future setting. 

However, as an unfortunate event sees one of the twins briefly lose grip of the rope, early on in the film, doubts of whether the ‘Evil’ exists come from the twins, and the strong ties that bind the family begin to strain. 

However, as an unfortunate event sees one of the twins briefly lose grip of the rope, early on in the film, doubts of whether the ‘Evil’ exists come from the twins, and the strong ties that bind the family begin to strain. 

While Never Let Go sometimes provides moments of prolonged tension and fear, it is as interested in the family drama with three extremely strong central performances tying down, at times, a contrived and thin plot. Particularly in terms of the psychological doubt about whether the ‘Evil’ exists is compelling and asks the audience to constantly question their belief. This is incredibly potent due to the information Aja shows to influence the audience’s beliefs. At times, you are sure of which way you lie, lulling you into a false sense of security. 

The film is not short of allegory and commentary either. The ropes represent the family’s ties; each family member is tethered to the house, showing the importance of unity within the nuclear family. Indeed, this is further extended as doubt spreads, and Halle Berry’s mother figure becomes increasingly insecure about losing her children, constantly punishing them to inject fear into her sons. This could also be read as a film about mental health, grief, nature and a COVID-esque entrapment. These allegories, however, lack subtlety or nuance, and there is little analysis beyond the baseline readings given at the start of the film.

Thus, these rapidly setup ideas without any form of analysis lead to, at times, a film that becomes a long slog of repetitive day-to-day motions as the characters are often unwilling to interact or compromise. Likewise, although there are scary moments, the film frequently relies on sound as a catalyst for scares rather than organic scenes of horror. Although, there is a particularly tense moment in Act 2 involving a dog. 

The closed location is another point of contention. In part, the film is a merger of A Quiet Place with the parental politics of Captain Fantastic. The single-location setting gives the film an indie low-budget feel, and while single-location films often thrive on these constraints, Never Let Go struggles to fully explore its baseline premise until the final few scenes.

Never Let Go has an intriguing but contrived premise, focusing on the need to contain the family unit, aided by three strong lead performances. Likewise, the film keeps you guessing, adding to the enjoyment of the experience. However, the allegories fail to go beyond the baseline concepts; likewise, the scares do not extend beyond the baseline jump scares, which affect an otherwise slow but intriguing horror with powerful moments of dramatic family tension.