With films like Haute Tension (also known as High Tension or Switchblade Romance, 2003), The Hills Have Eyes (2006), and Crawl (2019), director Alexandre Aja is a master of suspense. Never Let Go, his most recent movie, further cements that title.
Written by KC Coughlin and Ryan Grassby, the film stars Halle Berry as a mother trying to safeguard her sons, played by Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins, from an unknown evil entity. They must always remain tethered to their isolated family house to avoid infection. Despite her best attempts, the mother’s oppressive behavior and starvation cause one of the sons to question things.
In anticipation of the upcoming release, we spoke with Alexandre Aja about the skill of keeping tension throughout the film. Aja explained, “It was maybe the most challenging aspect of making this movie because it is not the regular classic kind of graphic, gory experience. I’ve done them, but it was something else. All to keep the movie as tense as that rope that keeps them bound to the house and how can we create a really, I would say, intense journey into questioning. Because it’s really about this mother living with two kids; one was believing everything she’s saying, and the other one was questioning.”
Never Let Go has many twists and turns, leaving you guessing until the credits roll. The filmmaker touched on that aspect of the film, saying, “It’s also how to create this kind of mind game with the audience where you have to piece all the clues together without giving too much. You have to figure out what you will interpret and how you will interpret it.”
There are similarities to the classic “Hansel and Gretel” story, which is by design. Aja told us, “I wanted to make a movie that would be more of a dark fairy tale the same way that the classic dark fairy tale existed for a long, long time. Something that will go beyond just being simple entertainment but could be taken as a psychological tool to face a monster or darkness. So, yeah, that was pretty challenging.”
As mentioned when we talked with leads Anthony B. Jenkins and Percy Daggs IV, there were moments when Halle Berry’s character was scarier than the horror lurking about. Aja explained, “That’s really what she wanted to do. I remember the first time we met, she looked me in the eye, and she said, I want to be sure that we’re not going to compromise on any of the layers of the character. That we’re not going to try to make her likable or just like a loving mother or a hero. I want to explore all the darkness that goes along.”
RELATED: ‘The Substance’ Review: A Brutally Masterful Look at Beauty (TIFF 2024)
As well as being the only adult lead, Halle Berry’s production company, HalleHolly, helped produce the film. Seeing eye to eye was crucial. Aja continued, “I wanted the same thing, so we just together kept pushing and pushing and pushing. When we were making the movie, people were like, the manifestation of the evil, everything is going to be so scary. No one really understood how the most scary part will be her. How she is the most loving and protective and ready to do anything to protect her kids, but at the same time, she’s maybe the most dangerous element for them.”
Never Let Go will be released in theaters nationwide on Friday, September 20th, via Lionsgate.
