A refreshing and beautiful movie for the young-at-heart.
Artwork by Mia Nogueira
In the modern, dumbed-down entertainment era, many movies focus solely on plot. It is a rare and refreshing treat to see a movie that uses lighting and cinematography to their advantage so thoroughly. Pair those attributes with an amazing storyline and impeccable actors, and you’ve got Neverwas.
The movie begins with Zach Riley (Aaron Eckhart, Thank You For Smoking), a psychiatrist, leaving his job at a prestigious university to interview for a job at the mental institution, Millwood. The owner of the institution tells him he’s too qualified for the position, but Zach insists, claiming he once had a friend who didn’t get the help he deserved at Millwood, and he wanted to make it a better place. Zach gets the job and meets his patients, which include Sally (Cynthia Stevenson, Dead Like Me), a paranoid schizophrenic, Jake (Alan Cumming, Spy Kids), who has anger-management issues, and Gabriel (Ian McKellen, Lord of the Rings) who paces outside of the group and refuses to speak.
Gabriel turns out to be Zach’s most important patient, and as Zach fights to cure Gabriel’s mental illness, he finds himself in the middle of a mystery. Gabriel claims to be the king of Neverwas; an imaginary land from a children’s book written by Zach’s father.
The viewer is brought through the world of reality, the realm of memories and the land of fantasy in Zach’s search for the truth. Was his father really crazy? Could there be a cure for Gabriel’s mental illness?
Talented actors who are perfectly suited to their parts, lighting that defines the scene’s emotion as well as any location, and music that perfectly sets the mood sends the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster along with the characters. In contrast to many movies that have recently been released, Neverwas has an intense climax, and comes to a satisfying and uplifting ending that left me with happy tears streaming down my face.
Neverwas is also filled with fantastic locations and sets. The set designers paid great attention to detail, even going so far as to build a castle out of scrap metal and shards of colored glass.
This perfect blend of real life and fairy tale reminds the viewer of such movies as Peter Pan, Big Fish and Secondhand Lions, but has a darker twist to it. The story is beautiful, and leaves the viewers on the edge of their seats with their hearts jumping up into their throats.
Every aspect of Neverwas is amazing; the lighting, acting, script and attention to detail making it stand above the rest. This movie was a real treat, and I recommend it to anyone who wants a break from the mundane and shoddy filmmaking that has made itself a norm in the movie industry.
Rating: ★★★★★
