Jakarta. French filmmaker Alexandre Aja has released his new psychological horror “Never Let Go” starring household name Halle Berry. Despite having a veteran actress in the cast, her young co-stars Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B Jenkins do not get outshined by Berry.

The 101-minute film “Never Let Go” starts incredibly slow. We are introduced to the “tight-knit” family: Momma (Berry) as well as her two twin sons Samuel (Anthony B Jenkins) and Nolan (Percy Daggs IV). The family lives in a remote cabin in the woods. Everytime the family leaves the house, all three must tie themselves with a rope around their waists to the cabin to keep them safe from a malicious spirit that only the mother can see. To survive, the family must “never let go” of these ropes. Throughout the movie, the family is seen carrying out rituals with chants that say that their home is their safe place. As the story unfolds, son Nolan begins to question whether there really is the devil or his overprotective mama is only imagining things. 

“Never Let Go” only has a few jumpscares. Those looking for some fright might fall asleep. Despite the solid acting, people might struggle to stay awake due to the dull first half. But scaring the audience might not be the movie’s main goal. Its main focus is to put the audience in Nolan’s shoes as they guess how the story will end. Has Momma been right all along about the evil spirit? Or is she just being paranoid? 

“Never Let Go”, which is now out in Indonesian theaters, banks on Berry’s name to get people to come to the theaters. Momma later dies in the movie to save the boys from an evil spirit disguised as her dead mother. And so the two boys have to survive on their own with little to no food supply. With Momma’s passing, Nolan’s doubt over the existence of the evil spirit grows, while Samuel is still struggling to cope with his mother’s death.

Surprisingly, once Berry’s character is out of the picture, that is when the story starts to get more interesting after a boring first half. It also gives a chance for Percy and Jenkins to prove their acting skills. But even when Berry is on screen, the two boys do not get overshadowed.

“Never Let Go” is far from being soundtrack-heavy, although that does not mean it has no music at all. But the scores play just at the right time to amplify the film’s key moments. 

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