Everlasting (2016)

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Beautiful, moving film.

As Good As It Gets

Blistering performances.

Rock solid murder mystery / love story here, buoyed by a convincing and confident performance from Adam David. The cinematography is especially well done, with appropriate and effective treatments to separate past and present scenes. I was pleasantly surprised to see Michael Massee (who I remember from 24 and The Crow) in a bone-chilling role - on par with anything he's done previously. Also from The Crow (and LOST) is Bai Ling, who only looks better with age. A moody, dark score (including a track by Crystal Castles) also keeps the tone consistent and dark. Give this film a shot. It'll pull you in and keep you entertained and moved all the way to the shocking, gruesome end. Well done!

EVERLASTING is a beautifully shot, well-crafted psycho-sexual crime thriller. The performances are good and compelling, the lead actress is especially great. The music was creepy, haunting and extremely effective at maintaining tension and suspense. And the story... It kept me going all the way to the end which is rare in an indie. If you're looking for a great indie-crime-thriller, EVERLASTING is for you.

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.

This tiny review does contain a couple of spoilers.. So be warned!Now Im not giving anything away by saying that the movie revolves around our two main characters, Matt and Jessie who are both madly in love with each other. Both are coming to the end of the school year and Matt's class is given an assignment - to video any subject matter they wish but it must be original, genuine and truthful.Matt therefore chooses to video his girlfriend Jessie as she prepares to follow fame and fortune in Los Angeles as a model. Matt has promised to travel with Jessie to L.A. and together they video each other having fun, arguing, crying and having a good time visiting the scenic surroundings on-route.Everlasting, however, does not follow any set precedents and its fair to say that the viewer is left in no doubt as to where the film is heading from the opening 15 minutes. We find out that Jessie was murdered three months after arriving in LA and four months after her body was discovered there has still been no arrests and the case had since gone 'cold'.There is a found-footage kind of feel to it but without it every being 'found-footage'. We hear Matts voice talking to us like we have been exclusively invited into his world and into his quest to find answers.If you have ever watched a movie called 8mm (starring Nicholas Cage) then the atmosphere of Everlasting will surely be reminiscent. Both movies weave a complex tale of the grubby underworld goings-on within the modelling industry and the danger that can be all around.There are several instances of dark but yet fascinating writing throughout this movie and because of this the film never really lets you go and along with the superb acting performances of both Valentina de Angelis and Adam David, Everlasting is a brilliant movie.Perhaps there isn't gore. Perhaps there aren't any real scenes of torture. But if you want to see a movie that can make you feel uncomfortable but also engaged throughout, then Everlasting should be on your must-see list.It's a love story fuelled with suspense. Not exactly a revenge (or horror) movie but one full of intrigue and one that just never lets go of your emotions.