Now entering its 25th year, Pigeon Shrine FrightFest is a festival known for nurturing talent. Over the course of their tenure, the four uncles of horror have helped shape the careers of many filmmakers, but especially those from the UK, with Neil Marshall and Chris Smith two prime examples. Something else that FrightFest does is inspire attendees to pursue their own film aspirations and, over the years, the festival has played host to films made by long-standing Frightfesters. Writer and director Damon Rickard is one such passholder; this year sees him debut his first feature, Never Have I Ever.
Starring Andrew Lee Potts as lead character Sam, Never Have I Ever is an interesting thriller that comes into its own during its second half. Upon his introduction, Sam is in a bit of a mess. He is late in delivering his next script, battling an addiction to alcohol, and is generally not having a fun time. This gets worse when he loses his wallet, and without any way to pay for a drink himself, accepts one from mysterious stranger Mara (Beatrice Fletcher). All Mara asks for in return is his company, and as the pair begin to converse, they spill their deepest darkest secrets to one another, which leads to terrifying consequences.
Never Have I Ever is a film that gets better as it goes. Although the first half sets up Sam as a downtrodden loser, this could be communicated in a more succinct fashion. It is only when Mara and Sam begin to talk that audience interest is truly roused, but it still takes until the beginning of a round of the titular game for the film to get really juicy. Heavy on conversation, Never Have I Ever has elements of a stage production as the viewer primarily watches two characters chat on-screen. Flashbacks punctuate these long monologues, helping to remove viewing fatigue, but never detracting from the performances. Both Potts and Fletcher do great work at shaping their characters and making them feel real.
The true acting MVP of Never Have I Ever however, is Amber Doig-Thorne. The actress is best known for her work fighting Piglet in the critically mauled Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey. Here as a woman from Sam’s past, she gives a subtle, but heart-breaking performance. She is only in a few scenes, but her turn is so strong that she instantly wins the audience over.
A further strength to Never Have I Ever are its technical elements. The production design is solid and the use of pinkish and blue lighting sources creates a mood that, much like Sam and Mara’s conversation, switches from cold to cosy and back again. Mitch Bain’s electronic score forms Never Have I Ever’s beating heart. It acts as a pulse regulator, increasing in volume and speed to heighten moments of tension, and slowly sinking into the background during more calm instances. Another interesting touch is that in Never Have I Ever, every character’s name has been carefully selected. As the end credits begin, the origins and meanings of each person’s name flash up on screen, offering further insight into who the audience have just been watching. It’s a neat little touch that proves that Rickard has plenty of ideas in his arsenal.
Were Never Have I Ever to cut through the noise of the first half and begin from a later starting point, it would make for a more satisfying viewing. As it stands, aspects of the first half feel somewhat of a slog. The viewer knows that the story is headed somewhere exciting and a little more haste in getting there would be appreciated. As first time features go, Damon Rickard has shown enough interesting angles to his writing and directing style to encourage further viewing of any future work.
Never Have I Ever
Summary
The double whammy of a beautiful performance from Amber Doig-Thorne, and a pulsing score from Mitch Bain, stand out in Damon Rickard’s fairly stable feature debut.
Never Have I Ever was reviewed at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024.
