Nina Forever

Nina Forever is a 2015 British horror comedy film written and directed by brothers Ben and Chris Blaine. It stars Fiona O'Shaughnessy, Abigail Hardingham, and Cian Barry. It premiered at the 2015 SXSW film festival. Fiona O'Shaughnessy plays Nina, a revenant who comes back to life to torment her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend whenever they have sex.

Nina Forever
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
  • Ben Blaine
  • Chris Blaine
Produced byCassandra Sigsgaard
Written by
  • Ben Blaine
  • Chris Blaine
Starring
Music byDan Teper
CinematographyOliver Russell
Edited by
  • Ben Blaine
  • Chris Blaine
Production
company
  • Charlie Productions
  • Jeva Films
Release date
  • 14 March 2015 (2015-03-14) (SXSW)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$10,815 (UK)[1]

Plot

After his girlfriend Nina dies in a car crash, Rob unsuccessfully attempts suicide. As he begins to overcome his grief, he falls in love with a coworker, Holly. Their relationship is complicated when Nina, unable to find rest in the afterlife, comes back to life to sarcastically torment them whenever they have sex. Rob and Holly must find some way to deal with the situation and put Nina to rest.

Cast

Production

The writer-directors wanted to keep the film from descending into camp, so they kept the tone serious enough that people could still relate to the characters and their actions despite the situations. Focus was also put on keeping the metaphor of baggage in a relationship relatable beyond the literal interpretation of supernatural events.[2] Production began in May 2013 in the UK.[3] The Blaine brothers used a Kickstarter campaign to fund aspects of the film. They said that they did not want to ask permission to make a film; instead, they made the film they wanted and invited others to become involved in the process.[4]

Release

Nina Forever premiered at SXSW on 14 March 2015.[5] It was released via video on demand in the United Kingdom on 15 February 2016, followed by a DVD and Blu-ray release on 22 February.[6]

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes reports that 97% of 32 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 8/10 with the consensus stating, "Nina Forever tests the limit of the rom-com with a decidedly unorthodox triangle that's as diabolically original as it is daringly dark".[7] Metacritic rated it 75/100 based on 10 reviews.[8] Wayne Alan Brenner of The Austin Chronicle called it "a deftly unnerving collaboration between Lorrie Moore and Clive Barker".[9] Patrick Cooper of Bloody Disgusting rated it 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "The Blaine brothers do a superb job of balancing the absurdity of a corpse that's summoned every time they have sex and the tough themes like grief and the possible impossibility of closure."[10] Drew Tinnin of Dread Central rated it 4/5 stars and wrote, "Always slowly developing just enough to stay interesting, Nina Forever strikes a fairly unique balance in tone, never winking and becoming too ridiculous given the circumstances while also dealing with loss in a very genuine way."[11] William Bibbiani of CraveOnline rated it 9/10 stars and wrote, "It's a unique exploration of horror, love and loss. It's a sexy, funny, morbid and beautiful film for horror lovers with a heart, and romantic audiences with a dark side."[12] Matt Donato of We Got This Covered 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "The Blaine brothers' first feature is twisted, bloody, cheeky fun, but engaging performances from Hardingham and O'Shaughnessy create a combative fireworks show that impresses the most."[13] Oktay Ege Kozak of Indiewire rated it B+ and wrote the film would have been an excellent short but is overlong and episodic as a feature. Commenting on the film's nudity, Kozak wrote, "Yet the brothers' goal is far from empty titillation, as they construct an original and surprisingly tender romance."[14] Michael Rechtshaffen of the Los Angeles Times compared it to Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands and said it "emerges as a diabolically effective anti-date movie".[15]

At the British Independent Film Awards 2015, the Blaine brothers were nominated for Best Debut Director,[16] and Abigail Hardingham won Best Newcomer.[17]

References
  1. "United Kingdom Box Office for Nina Forever (2015)". The Numbers. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  2. Bibbiani, William (19 March 2015). "SXSW 2015 Video: Abigail Hardingham and The Blaine Brothers on 'Nina Forever'". CraveOnline. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  3. Rosser, Michael (1 May 2013). "Blaine Brothers' debut feature Nina Forever begins production". Screen Daily. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  4. Savlov, Marc (13 March 2015). "Nina Forever". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  5. Vijn, Ard (3 March 2015). "NINA FOREVER Trailer Shows A Dark Modern Fairy-Tale". Twitch Film. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  6. Miska, Brad. "I Heart This UK 'Nina Forever' Poster, Too!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  7. "Nina Forever (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  8. "Nina Forever". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  9. Brenner, Wayne Alan (19 March 2015). "SXSW Film Review: Nina Forever". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  10. Cooper, Patrick (15 March 2015). "[SXSW '15 Review] 'Nina Forever' Is a Morbidly Funny Horror-Romance". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  11. Tinnin, Drew (18 March 2015). "Nina Forever (2015)". Dread Central. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  12. Bibbiani, William (17 March 2015). "SXSW 2015 Review: 'Nina Forever' is Horror with a Heart". CraveOnline. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  13. Donato, Matt (14 March 2015). "Nina Forever Review [SXSW 2015]". We Got This Covered. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  14. Kozak, Oktay Ege (16 March 2015). "SXSW Review: Fresh, Original, & Surprisingly Tender Horror 'Nina Forever'". Indiewire. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  15. Rechtshaffen, Michael (11 February 2016). "Review In bold 'Nina Forever,' an ex shows up at the oddest times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  16. "British Independent Film Awards 2015: the nominations in full". British Film Institute. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  17. Grater, Tom (6 December 2015). "'Ex Machina' triumphs at BIFAs". Screen Daily. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
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