You laugh even before seeing it because this is a British horror comedy with zombies. And they made good movies. And even the tagline is "A fucked up fairy tale." Laugh. There is a printed smile on the face, from the earliest images. After twenty minutes, it becomes an astonish and terror expression. The same that have the two protagonists when from the sheets a hand grasps a foot of one of the two.
An expression that gets worse during the vision. Because "Nina Forever" label or not, is not a comedy. And maybe even the definition of horror when referred to the collective imaginary is a little 'tight. But so it is, there's a zombie and there's blood. There is death. There is love. And it’s a horror.
"Nina Forever" is a film that surprises the viewer. A film capable of hit inside everyone, to go beyond the horror and the zombies. Able to reflect on the human race but also about themselves. That’s what should do every good movie.
But apart from the intense sense, on which we will return, "Nina Forever" is notable for a perfect realization in every detail. The brothers Ben and Chris Blaine after a long career in the short debut with this feature movie in which they didn’t leave anything to chance. A simple but very effective direction, marries a dazzling editing made of fast flash-forward that in addition to removing unnecessary moments increase the anxiety and interest. Same result gets the excellent livid and crepuscular photography by Oliver Russell, coming from the world of advertising. Last, but not least there is the soundtrack chosen with precision and which emphasizes all the important moments of the history of Nina, contrasting sometimes with sour irony images, or by adding a load of emotion. A heterogeneous comment that put together Adam Faith, British pop singer of the sixties, with the lightweight "What Now" to New York electro pop of "Pearl And the Beard" and "Liquid Liquid", with sounds of Mary Carlyle and many others up to two songs of Amanda Palmer. The American singer-songwriter is already a good character, we can say that would be at home in this story and lends to the film "Astronaut" (film backbone) and "Want It Back".
And then of course there's the story. Dense, intense, dark and open. " We wanted to make something that was fantastical and magical but true to our own
experiences of loss and love and that urge to help people. We were also very keen to
capture the quiet suburban English landscape that we grew up in, but place in the middle
of it this explosion of craziness. We wanted to look at a bunch of emotions that don’t
get much airing in public ", say the two brothers and their goal are largely achieved.
Already on the opening credits we learn that there was a motorcycle accident. Serious. Then we find Rob, a wild-eyed guy who works in a supermarket and apparently attempted suicide because his girlfriend Nina, died in the accident. Holly studies paramedics and works in the supermarket too, where she met Rob, the only thing of note there.
The two falls in love, they end up in bed and while they are making love, Nina comes out, literally, from the sheets. Bloody, destroyed, gloomy. Beautiful and sarcastic. A blow not just for Rob and Holly. Even for the viewer. Holly after some hesitation decided to tackle the problem. Rob tries in every way to get rid of Nina who regularly reappears in their lives and in the bedroom. Rob must forget the dead girlfriend. Holly tries to insert her (or reinsert) in their relationship. They treat her badly. Anything. Nina forever.
And when it seems everything clear, here opens another wound, deep, impossible to heal. The already ascertained loss of affection, the pain of death, plus the morbid and spasmodic need of care, to want to help at all costs others.
It’s not easy to manage a story like that, a story of love and death that binds with sex. Nor is it easy to use zombies in a different way from usual. The brothers Blaine stay away from banality. They succeed also thanks to three actors, little known outside the United Kingdom and Ireland, which create three perfect characters. Abigail Hardingham interprets willing Holly that seems at the mercy of events and alternates naturally brave moments at times when she is scared. The Irishman Cian Barry is Rob, the one from whom everything passes. A character disillusioned, sad, on which weighs a sense of guilt. And finally Fiona O'Shaughnessy who gives power and depth to Nina. Lanky, bleeding and sometimes excruciatingly ironic. A great character who pushes this film to be one of the most interesting films seen in recent years.