Written by Sara Carabini
Halle Berry stars as a mother of twin sons who are up against an evil spirit threatening their remote home in the wilderness following a catastrophic event, as shown in the trailer Never Let Go, released in theaters on September 27, 2024.
In this horror-thriller, filmmaker Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Crawl) equips the secluded woodland house with long ropes to ensure that the mother and her sons are always connected as unseen perils draw near.
“The evil presence is cunning. A single touch without a rope is all it needs,” Berry's character warns her sons in one scene from the trailer, emphasizing the importance of staying tethered to the ropes for both safety and unity. However, as malevolent forces envelop their isolated home, one of the twins begins to question the existence of evil.
Check out the trailer below:
Halle Berry´s mothering
Breaking the family bond, a fierce battle for survival is ignited. "That rope is your lifeline. Never let go. Repeat it," a terrified Berry, holding a long knife, warns her sons at one point.
Berry mentioned that she accepted the role due to her love for adrenaline and thrill-seeking, always being drawn to such movies. She elaborated on the serie setting of the film, where the boys have been confined to their birthplace for a decade. "It immediately set a creepy tone. I was challenged to depict the reality of such a situation. How does mothering manifest in an isolated woodland home?" Berry reflected.
How to become a survival mother for Halle Berry?
Halle Berry acquired specific skills to prepare for the role of survival mother and embraced a touch of method acting. "There was no electricity, only darkness, my character was skinning squirrels, and they were consuming bugs and raw frogs in the wilderness," Berry recalled. "I had to genuinely skin a squirrel. These experiences pushed me to infuse authenticity into this unfamiliar world."
Drawing from her own experiences as a mother of two, Berry drew inspiration for her portrayal: "Becoming a mother 16 years ago has fueled my passion for such roles. This movie reignited my fierce maternal instincts. We often say, 'I would take a bullet for my kids.' But would you take a knife for them?"
Additionally, the movie features Anthony B. Jenkins, Percy Daggs IV, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Christin Park, and Stephanie Lavigne.
Never Let Go, from the producers of Stranger Things and Arrival, is set for a theatrical release Sept. 27. Lionsgate is releasing the horror thriller, in association with Media Capital Technologies.
Aja directed the horror pic from a script by Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby. He also produced alongside Dan Cohen, Dan Levine and Shawn Levy, with Berry, Dan Clarke, Connor DiGregorio, Holly Jeter, Emily Morris and Christopher Woodrow serving as executive producers.
