FILM INFO: After the death of his wife, a man plans a camping trip with his son. But when mourning her loss turns to honoring her memory, an unexpected journey begins.
WRITTEN BY: Durden Godfrey DIRECTED BY: Durden Godfrey GENRE: Drama TIME: 98 minutes.
You and me, the woods and the few things we can carry. Screw the modern world and let's get back to humanities roots. At first, that seems to be the true premise behind Durden Godfrey's film "Never Go Back" and in reality, that's exactly what it is not. Well, that may not be entirely true. The above premise does add some life to the plot but the true story, is of the relationship between Father and Son; and the memory of a wife and Mother. These elements are what makes this film both a treat to watch, and very sad come the ending. Growth, change, and a side order of frog legs, "Never Go Back" is a gritty look at how the choices we make not only dictate our existence, but can also change the course of life, for better or worse. I'll admit that the first twenty or so minutes were a little rough for me. This is a true indie film, meaning the technical aspects are always a hurdle. Well, most of the time. In this case, the hurdle was most evident at the start. I'll get more into that later but I can write that the film got a lot better as it progressed. With an introduction most conspiracy lovers would admire, to a finish that is as touching as it is heart breaking, the real strength, for me, was the relationship showcased and built around Father and Son; with a deceased Wife and Mother still firmly in their midst. This well used dynamic is the real reason to watch this film, and it's smartly handled. Durden Godfrey has capitalized on this element as much as he possibly could, with some great results. Once you begin to know these characters there's really no turning back. You're hooked. Using the woods as a backdrop, and some hippy ideals inspired by the above mentioned "ghost," some real and believable back-story was created; further cementing the films premise. By the closing credits we're treated to a full circle event, sort of, foreshadowed by a previous scene around a good old camp fire. I did have some questions by the end, such as explanations after the fact that our lead character would have to come up with. This however, didn't take away from the overall idea and concept of the film. As a character driven drama, "Never Go Back" succeeds in a gritty yet classy way. Two words: Nicely written. As an indie film, the technicalities are usually the make or break point for any reviewer. As I wrote above, the start of the film was the toughest for me. Changing colors from shot to shot, blurry and overall grey imaging made things really tough to get into. Also of note, the super fast edits used during the first few minutes made no sense, and created the feeling of an action film, rather than a dialog driven drama. Here's the thing. After watching the full film, I realized a lot of the crazy, blurry shots at the start could have been removed as they really served no "real" purpose. As it is, mainly because of the rocky start, "Never Go Back" feels a little long running. With an eight or ten minute cut to the overall edit, mainly the first quarter, most of the problem shots could easily have been removed; with no hit to the overall story being told. This would entice viewers to stick around, because things do get a lot better. Once in the woods things begin to really move forward. The grittiness makes perfect sense and yes, the lead actors slip into their roles and do a fantastic job. Enough so that if given the chance, making it past the beginning, you'll feel for these people by the ending as much as I did. Getting the casual viewer past that first quarter is what worries me. Once past that point it's all smooth sailing. I did go back and forth with my opinion on the rating of this title. The first stretch I was thinking a lower score would end up being the case, but by the end I was thinking completely the opposite. I settled in the middle because when it's all said and done, this is an entertaining movie. Once past the initial scenes I was hooked. Isn't that what it's all about? Being entertained? With a few changes here and there, mainly at the start, this would really be an exceptional film... and currently it really is... once you're into it. For what it's worth, the second half of "Never Go Back" is one of the better dramatic movies I've seen this year. That includes studio productions. One to check out and stick with when watching because when it's all said and done, a good film is a good film. -JT
