Nina Forever

This Frightfest 2015 favourite is the first gem of 2016. A British indie written and directed by Ben and Chris Blaine, it's a jet-black sex comedy about a dead young woman who comes back to life whenever her ex-boyfriend has sex. And he's having a lot of sex with his new girlfriend, Holly (Abigail Hardingham).

Avoiding potentially tiresome scenes of endless disbelief, the central couple accept the bizarre situation far more easily than their zombie. Indeed, Holly is actually turned on by the presence of Nina (Fiona O'Shaughnessy). The latter is in no mood for a ménage a trois, and proceeds to torment the new lovers. She's the embodiment of guilt.

Nina Forever doesn't go for scares. But neither does it go for the surreal. The grounded way in which it depicts its essential weirdness is one of its main appeals. It's reminiscent of the deadpan exchanges between David and his dead buddy in An American Werewolf in London – that's the tone.

Another key element is the characterisation. Holly and Rob (Cian Barry) are entirely convincing as the late-teenage lovers, swept up in their twisted, hermetically-sealed fantasy. And the Blaine brothers throw into the mix Nina's grieving parents, whose struggles to cope (dad's writing a terrible book; mum's trying to keep her daughter alive through Rob) are funny and moving.

The Blaines' control of the material is seriously impressive. Everyone knows comedy-horror is a virtually impossible balancing act, but they mostly nail it, lightening the darkness of the material without ever taking the camp way out. It is horrific and it is funny, which is all you can ask. The balance is achieved through an unholy trinity of sex, death, and love. There's something here about faithfulness. If you never had a chance in life to stop loving someone, how do you have consent to love another? Real thought has been put into the script, creating a uniquely involving genre-evading experience. Its central romance is as carefully rendered as its gore. Nina doesn't just mean different things to different people; she means different things to the same people over the course of the story. She plays a key part in the ending, where quiet revelation awaits.

And that's what this highly original film is: a quiet revelation.

Not well done but visually interesting and the actress that plays Nina steals the movie!

I guess I was expecting a horror film and got some weird dead ex-girlfriend sex film. I will give them credit for originality but the film just was not that interesting. Watch at your own risk.

I really only watched this in the first place based on the fact it was erotic.. I have been on the hunt to find the best and most entertaining erotic films to stream. This one was nicely erotic with a decent storyline.. the actress that plays holly is very attractive. And the slight comedic humor adds to the vibe

A fabulous concept, lots of problems but well worth an hour and a half of your life. For a first film, this is awesome. Its flaws are all of inexperience - an over-egged script and some logical but emotionally unconvincing physicalisations of the dead girlfriend. Its strengths are of original talent, a cast that's much better than the budget would suggest and an utterly unique point of view. One of the strengths of the movie is the actress who plays the living girlfriend. She could be Ruth Wilson's sibling and brings a similar level of interest to the most ordinary moments. The rest of the film is adequate for the purpose - which is exactly what it needs to be. Cinematography and locations are unobtrusive and allow the concept room to breathe. I hope the filmmakers draw the right conclusions and move onwards and upwards. Hey guys, if you're ever in Los Angeles. look me up!