Everlasting (2016) Reviews

• An engrossing and unnerving mystery with a brilliantly-written story

  themadmovieman2017-01-11

  I was really impressed by this film. It's an unnerving, mysterious and unpredictable thriller that works wonders through the use of its non- linear storytelling, furthered by its effective use of hand-held camera, making for a thoroughly captivating watch throughout. It may not always have the pulsating beat of a truly intense thriller, but it's a consistently intriguing watch full of clever twists from start to finish. Let's start off with what I thought worked best here, the story structure. Non-linear crime mysteries are often the films that make best use of the format, but I've often seen it lead to convoluted and uninteresting stories. That's not the case with Everlasting, as it regularly moves between various time periods, ranging from the two's relationship way back before the murder occurred to the boyfriend's continued distress as a result. You may think that spoiling the murder right off the bat would be pointless, but the great thing about this film is that it's about the emotional effects of losing someone close to you, and by presenting the story in non-linear fashion, we're able to learn so much about the main characters, all the while still preserving a sense of mystery surrounding the as yet unexplained events that occur right in the middle. As I said, I didn't find the film a breathless and endlessly exhilarating watch, but the story that's told is still a fascinating one. Director Anthony Stabley paces the film very well throughout, making use of the non-linear story to keep feeding in small but intriguing details that, whilst only slowly building towards the resolution, make for an enthralling watch. The film's visual style is also a big positive. If there's ever a way that indie movies try to disguise low budgets, it's through the use of hand-held camera. Everlasting uses a lot of that too, but it's actually to the film's benefit. Cleverly telling the story through the eyes of our main character, a film student, the use of hand-held camera feels totally justified, and even lends another level of eerie realism that makes some of the story's grislier details more affecting. I'm not going to lie, this isn't a particularly pleasant watch. As wonderful as some of the visuals and settings are, the centre of the story is very dark and unsettling. There are moments when the film goes a little overboard with its graphic depiction of sex and violence, not always fitting in with the mysterious atmosphere, it's generally a very subtly unnerving film. It has the perfect sort of score, almost unnoticeable yet hugely effective and it has a realistic visual style, all coming together to make a genuinely unsettling vibe that renders the mystery of the days leading up to and following the murder even more intriguing. The performances here in Everlasting are pretty good too. Although there are moments when some slightly wobbly dialogue isn't delivered so well, both Adam David and Valentina De Angelis are hugely convincing in their roles. The two have an excellent chemistry that makes their romantic relationship an effective storytelling tool, whilst they clearly portray the two characters' stark differences, creating a different level of emotional drama beyond the horror of the murder at the centre of the story, which I thought was brilliant to see. In general, this film is very good, but if I were to have one problem with it, it's the overuse of narration. Although helpful and necessary in the opening act to explain the situation at hand, I really felt like the narration from our main character, looking back on the events depicted in his film, was unnecessary and occasionally intrusive later on in the film. That's largely because of the fact that the directing here is easily good enough to tell us the story at hand without even saying a word, and with narration effectively repeating what we're already seeing and feeling again and again, it can be a little distracting. Overall, however, I was really surprised by Everlasting. It's a small indie thriller with big brains, and the capacity to provide some genuine excitement and intrigue with an ingeniously-written story. It's not on the level of the likes of Se7en and Gone Girl, but with brilliant directing, writing and performances, it's a thoroughly captivating watch from start to finish.

• Non-Linear Thriller

  ranch7002016-12-06

  I like non linear storytelling so that automatically makes this movie right up my alley. I would definitely call it more of a thriller than a horror movie, so if you're looking for out and out blood and guts, this is not that kind of movie. But so what? The story is what's important and that's the big plus with this movie. I like that they take their time and don't allow the audience to get ahead of the movie. The story tells enough visually that some of the dialogue wasn't necessary, but that's speaks more positively about the visual effectiveness of this movie as opposed to saying something negative about the dialogue. All and all an enjoyable indie film!

• Tragic First Love

  JenBLovesMovies2018-05-06

  This film is a thriller about a high school student's search for his girlfriend's killer. More compelling to me, it's the story of a lost girl trying to break out of her sad life, never realizing that she's enough. This film captures the intensity of first love, well played by Valentina de Angelis as the doomed Jessie and Adam David as Matt, the boy who loves her. Elizabeth Röhm plays Jessie's mother who can't get her act together long enough to notice how much her daughter needs her.

• Haunting Love Story with a Dark Edge

  sr76282016-02-24

  I was able to catch a screening of Everlasting at the Nevermore Film Festival, where it won Jury Award for Best US Feature. In my opinion, it has a little something for nearly everyone. It's at its core a love story, a tale of two misfit star crossed teen lovers. But it's also a mystery and a thriller, with a broad reach - stretching from your average high school classroom to the seedy underbelly of LA's fetish scene, from beautiful, bright fields, to the dimly lit living room of a murderer. First and foremost, the film is beautifully shot and well written, weaving the story from a mix of video clips (from a school project), memories, and real time episodes. The non-linear and multi-mode fashion could have turned out clunky and awkward, but it moves us quite smoothly to the climax. The intermittent scenes that capture the young couple in nature, as they make their trip from Denver to LA, are some of the most haunting as they seem to capture the true essence of teen love and that feeling of immortality and bravado that accompanies youth, even in the face of undeniable change. The lead actors are believable in their roles. Valentina de Angelis portrays Jessie as both adventurous and vulnerable, as she is drawn to the dark side of humanity that ultimately leads to her downfall. Adam David as Matt, her estranged boyfriend desperate for closure and driven by a need to preserve Jessie's true nature. A strong cadre of supporting actors round out the story as well. Possibly the most jarring aspect of the film is its plausibility. This is the type of story we hear on the news. Another lost girl trying to find her way taken too soon. And though some may not find the ending sensational enough, it felt real. These crimes do happen. The victims are blamed and the perpetrators become renowned and celebrated. Everlasting tries to take that victory away from the criminal by focusing on Matt and Jessie, and their story. Watching this film left me sad, but touched, because it is truly successful in making you care about the characters.

• Everlasting (2015) – Fallen Angel Comes To Life

  iuchewie2016-02-18

  Everlasting isn't really what I'd call a "horror" movie in the traditional sense, though there are certainly horrific images and themes in it. Director Anthony Stabley describes it as a "dark mystery thriller" and that absolutely nails it. Plot wise it's pretty straight forward. We know where we're going from the very beginning and it's just a matter of how we're going to get there. The film utilizes flashbacks and voice-over in a very effective way to tell the story. I'm not a huge fan of the found footage genre and while there's a ton of hand-held stuff here, Matt (Adam David) is a film student, its not overdone and doesn't get annoying. The time line jumps around quite a bit but it's not nearly as bad as say Lost and not nearly as difficult to follow as something like Memento. The scenery here is breathtaking. Jesse & Matt are making their way from Denver to LA and they go through one of the most beautiful parts of the country and the film spares no expense showing us. They clearly did their homework here when it came to scouting locations. Not only do the places look great but the cast (especially the ladies – more on that later) look amazing. This is due not only to the fact that it's full of pretty people but their attire fits the film to a "T". Special shout out to Costume Designer Alycia Belle, Production Designer Candi Guterres and Makeup Artist Kristina Ellery – top notch. The cast here is superb. Everyone delivers their lines in a manner that doesn't seem forced or out of place (one of my biggest pet peeves with the films I've been watching recently). Nearly everyone in the film from Jesse's mother (Elisabeth Röhm) to Bai Ling's Christine fit their roles like a glove. Robert LaSardo as Rocky is a face that you'll recognize even if you don't know the name and he brings a gravitas to a small role that was very welcome. Pat Healy as Henrique gives a performance that is flawless. He's creepy as hell and truly shows the underbelly of the world that Jesse has walked into. But the stars of the film are clearly Matt (Adam David) and Jesse (Valentina de Angelis). Matt is hurting for the majority of the film as he's telling the story of his dead girlfriend. His motivations are clear and you can see the pain and pleasure on his face. He does give off a very strong 'Ricky Fits' vibe more than once (the camera guy from American Beauty) but that's to be expected as he's… holding a camera for most of the movie. I'm not quite sure I would have acted the same way he did in certain situations but I can't say any of his choices were "wrong". And I've saved the best for last… Valentina. To say I'm smitten would be an understatement. Let's get something out of the way. She's hot. Like crazy hot. But that's not what I'm talking about. She gives an amazing performance here. When they went scouting for the role of Jesse they hit the jackpot. The journey that this character goes through from beginning to end is heartbreaking and de Angelis shows every emotion with a flare and experience of an actor much older than her years. She plays sexy, seductive, naive and scared. The most touching moments in the film are between her and Adam. At the heart of this entire film really is a love between two teenagers. And they manage to pull it off in such a way that isn't campy or eye rollingly bad. It's damn near perfect. I would have appreciated a little bit tighter of an ending to the film as I wasn't sure of some character motivations and it just sort of wrapped up. Another scene or two tying the school project was what I was expecting but what the hell do I know. That said, by the time the credits rolled I'd completely enjoyed the ride that Everlasting took me on even though it wasn't a typical horror / slasher. Strong recommend.