allison-haygood Heartbreaking in its being so devastatingly relatable to what we see in the news every day. The acting was very real, especially as the parent of a rebellious, emotionally lost 22 year old daughter and the stepmom of an independent 20 year old stepdaughter starting out in the world in a city with a lot of crime. I love indie films and this one does not disappoint. Interesting way to get across very personal point of view.

Doran Mcgee Superb indie film. The two main characters have great chemistry together and their love for each other is genuine. The emotional connections are captivating and the thrilling journey is perfectly woven into a dark David Lynch style film with eerie visuals and some odd characters. Director Anthony Stabley has once again masterfully captured the "outsider" generation of American-youth culture as he previously did in his films Electronica 1 and 2. His keen eye for capturing deviant sub cultures is something to admire and look forward to in his next films.I also love the editing techniques switching between hand held camera shots to past memories and then back to real time. Great story telling both verbal and visual from start to finish.

themadmovieman I was really impressed by this film. It's an unnerving, mysterious and unpredictable thriller that works wonders through the use of its non- linear storytelling, furthered by its effective use of hand-held camera, making for a thoroughly captivating watch throughout. It may not always have the pulsating beat of a truly intense thriller, but it's a consistently intriguing watch full of clever twists from start to finish.Let's start off with what I thought worked best here, the story structure. Non-linear crime mysteries are often the films that make best use of the format, but I've often seen it lead to convoluted and uninteresting stories. That's not the case with Everlasting, as it regularly moves between various time periods, ranging from the two's relationship way back before the murder occurred to the boyfriend's continued distress as a result.You may think that spoiling the murder right off the bat would be pointless, but the great thing about this film is that it's about the emotional effects of losing someone close to you, and by presenting the story in non-linear fashion, we're able to learn so much about the main characters, all the while still preserving a sense of mystery surrounding the as yet unexplained events that occur right in the middle.As I said, I didn't find the film a breathless and endlessly exhilarating watch, but the story that's told is still a fascinating one. Director Anthony Stabley paces the film very well throughout, making use of the non-linear story to keep feeding in small but intriguing details that, whilst only slowly building towards the resolution, make for an enthralling watch.The film's visual style is also a big positive. If there's ever a way that indie movies try to disguise low budgets, it's through the use of hand-held camera. Everlasting uses a lot of that too, but it's actually to the film's benefit. Cleverly telling the story through the eyes of our main character, a film student, the use of hand-held camera feels totally justified, and even lends another level of eerie realism that makes some of the story's grislier details more affecting.I'm not going to lie, this isn't a particularly pleasant watch. As wonderful as some of the visuals and settings are, the centre of the story is very dark and unsettling. There are moments when the film goes a little overboard with its graphic depiction of sex and violence, not always fitting in with the mysterious atmosphere, it's generally a very subtly unnerving film. It has the perfect sort of score, almost unnoticeable yet hugely effective and it has a realistic visual style, all coming together to make a genuinely unsettling vibe that renders the mystery of the days leading up to and following the murder even more intriguing.The performances here in Everlasting are pretty good too. Although there are moments when some slightly wobbly dialogue isn't delivered so well, both Adam David and Valentina De Angelis are hugely convincing in their roles. The two have an excellent chemistry that makes their romantic relationship an effective storytelling tool, whilst they clearly portray the two characters' stark differences, creating a different level of emotional drama beyond the horror of the murder at the centre of the story, which I thought was brilliant to see.In general, this film is very good, but if I were to have one problem with it, it's the overuse of narration. Although helpful and necessary in the opening act to explain the situation at hand, I really felt like the narration from our main character, looking back on the events depicted in his film, was unnecessary and occasionally intrusive later on in the film. That's largely because of the fact that the directing here is easily good enough to tell us the story at hand without even saying a word, and with narration effectively repeating what we're already seeing and feeling again and again, it can be a little distracting.Overall, however, I was really surprised by Everlasting. It's a small indie thriller with big brains, and the capacity to provide some genuine excitement and intrigue with an ingeniously-written story. It's not on the level of the likes of Se7en and Gone Girl, but with brilliant directing, writing and performances, it's a thoroughly captivating watch from start to finish.

contact-70474 This tiny review does contain a couple of spoilers.. So be warned!Now Im not giving anything away by saying that the movie revolves around our two main characters, Matt and Jessie who are both madly in love with each other. Both are coming to the end of the school year and Matt's class is given an assignment - to video any subject matter they wish but it must be original, genuine and truthful.Matt therefore chooses to video his girlfriend Jessie as she prepares to follow fame and fortune in Los Angeles as a model. Matt has promised to travel with Jessie to L.A. and together they video each other having fun, arguing, crying and having a good time visiting the scenic surroundings on-route.Everlasting, however, does not follow any set precedents and its fair to say that the viewer is left in no doubt as to where the film is heading from the opening 15 minutes. We find out that Jessie was murdered three months after arriving in LA and four months after her body was discovered there has still been no arrests and the case had since gone 'cold'.There is a found-footage kind of feel to it but without it every being 'found-footage'. We hear Matts voice talking to us like we have been exclusively invited into his world and into his quest to find answers.If you have ever watched a movie called 8mm (starring Nicholas Cage) then the atmosphere of Everlasting will surely be reminiscent. Both movies weave a complex tale of the grubby underworld goings-on within the modelling industry and the danger that can be all around.There are several instances of dark but yet fascinating writing throughout this movie and because of this the film never really lets you go and along with the superb acting performances of both Valentina de Angelis and Adam David, Everlasting is a brilliant movie.Perhaps there isn't gore. Perhaps there aren't any real scenes of torture. But if you want to see a movie that can make you feel uncomfortable but also engaged throughout, then Everlasting should be on your must-see list.It's a love story fuelled with suspense. Not exactly a revenge (or horror) movie but one full of intrigue and one that just never lets go of your emotions.