Always Shine

It's a really good slow burn and the director and one of the characters do a damn good job of pushing you into a corner and making you feel uncomfortable the entire movie. Great slow burn but what was up with the ending? Somebody please explain? Even YouTube doesn't know.

Updated review 2025:

So I think of this movie often and have seen it at least 10 times since the first time several years ago. It really grew on me as I got older and started to 'get it' more. I oddly identify so much with Mackenzie Davis's character now, which isn't really a good thing and I definitely share her envy for women who know how to hold their tongue and appear more coy, even if it's not who they really are. It's a movie that makes me feel like I'm looking into a mirror a bit. That monologue she does is the beginning is really incredible, as is the scene with the guy at the fire pit at the bar. Both women are jealous of each other and don't realize it or admit it, but there are definitely a lot of themes going on in this. It's a story that needed to be told even though the ending still bothers me because it feels lazy and incomplete, though I think now I understand why it was chosen that way. I'd really like to see more movies like this that don't sugar coat female relationships.

The following review is after my initial first viewing in 2017:

The only reason I give this movie a 7 is because I was enjoying it right up until the last few minutes. I was so disappointed with the ending that I considered rating it a 4 (due to the script not being very philosophical or interesting for an indie flick with a clear agenda), but Mackenzie Davis SAVED this.

If you watch the movie knowing the ending is going to disappoint you, then you may just enjoy it that much more. I wish I had known. I felt that it ended abruptly and had no point. The dialogue wasn't great throughout, and I was disappointed in basically all of the acting, aside from Mackenzie. She was so magnetic in this, she really pulled me in. By the end, I wanted to be her. In that sense, this movie is worth seeing. However, if you like films with a beginning, middle, and a proper end, then just pass this one up and save yourself the time.

Maybe I don't get it but this flick didn't offer a thing to me. The story looked promising, two girl- friends going for a weekend together, the one being a popular actress and having a steady relation. The other not finding a job and not having a relationship and is naturally jealous. So it all did remind me of the classic Single White Female (1992) which delivered the stuff you expect. sadly, Always Shine stays away of what could be creepy or even squeamish.

It's clearly that you can see it coming but it never came. It's building up towards the point of no return but from then on nothing really happens, in fact they split up and it's all blah blah again. This flick is going to hit a lot of festivals in the near future, I guess why because it's in no way a horror, some say a psychological thriller, I can agree in some way but still nothing really happens only verbal words....

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 0/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

I didn't love Always Shine, but I did admire the film's chutzpah. It takes a lot of clichéd elements like the rivalry between women, especially actresses, but puts a new spin on them.

The film is about two best friends, Beth (Caitlin FitzGerald) and Anna (Mackenzie Davis). Both are actresses but Beth is experiencing a sudden surge in her career as she begins to land dumb parts in big budget successful horror movies. Anna meanwhile is the more talented of the two, but can't get a decent agent or good work. Her strong personality is also perceived as abrasive while Beth's doormat behaviour is perceived as being extremely attractive. The women head up to a cabin for a vacation but tension about their careers is high and neither can find it within themselves to be kind, graceful or supportive of the other. As tensions flare they finally learn what they really think of one another.

The acting on this is great and I did enjoy the twist. It's a bit of a psychological horror film, so while the gore isn't there, it's still pretty dynamic and a little scary.

I didn't really expect much from this but the poster certainly intrigued me. It reminded me a lot of the classic two-female psychodramas, most recently of Queen of Earth, and yet it also managed to bring something new to the table. It feels like a B-flick at its core but the filmmaking is very impressive and very intentional. The film also has a lot of interesting themes on its mind regarding the role of women in the film business and in society as well, and it will surely hit close to home for many. The two lead actresses are really good in their roles, particularly Mackenzie Davis who has the meatier role and who is able to knock it out of the park. I highly recommend this.