''Never Ever'' (french: À jamais) is a 2016 mystery romance film directed by Benoît Jacquot, starring

Mathieu Amalric Mathieu Amalric (; born 25 October 1965) is a French actor and filmmaker. He is best known internationally for his roles in the James Bond film '' Quantum of Solace'', in which he played the lead villain, Steven Spielberg's ''Munich'', Wes An ...

and Julia Roy. Roy also wrote the screenplay for the film, based on

Don DeLillo Donald Richard DeLillo (born November 20, 1936) is an American novelist, short story writer, playwright, screenwriter and essayist. His works have covered subjects as diverse as television, nuclear war, sports, the complexities of language, perf ...

's novel '' The Body Artist''. The film had its world premiere at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival on 9 September 2016.

Plot

A performance artist Laura meets a film director Rey. The two fall in love and get married. After Rey dies of a motorcycle accident, Laura feels alone in her house.

Cast

as Rey * Julia Roy as Laura *

Jeanne Balibar Jeanne Balibar (born 13 April 1968) is a French actress and singer. Life and career Balibar was born in Paris, the daughter of Marxist philosopher Étienne Balibar and physicist Françoise Balibar. She started her career as a student in th ...

as Isabelle * Victória Guerra as Marie * Elmano Sancho as the producer * José Neto as the owner * Hugo Pedro as journalist

Production

In 2013, it was reported that

Luca Guadagnino Luca Guadagnino (; born 10 August 1971) is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are often characterized by their emotional complexities, sensuality and sumptuous visuals. He is also known for his frequent collaboration ...

would direct a film adaptation of

's novel '' The Body Artist'' and

Isabelle Huppert Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (; born 16 March 1953) is a French actress. Described as "one of the best actresses in the world", she is known for her portrayals of cold and disdainful characters devoid of morality. She is the recipient of sev ...

Denis Lavant Denis Lavant (born 17 June 1961) is a French actor. He is known for his distinctive face and the physically demanding aspects of the roles he plays, which often involve slapstick, acrobatics or dance, as well as for his long-standing association w ...

, and David Cronenberg would star in the film. In 2015, it was reported that Benoît Jacquot would direct the film and

and

would star in the film. In that year, it was reported that Julia Roy had joined the cast. Roy also wrote the screenplay for the film. Filming took place in Portugal.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival on 9 September 2016. It was also screened at the

2016 Toronto International Film Festival The 41st annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 8 to 18 September 2016. The first announcement of films to be screened at the festival took place on 26 July. Almost 400 films were shown. Awards The festival's final awards were ...

and the 29th

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Along with the Shanghai International Film Festival, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals, and is considered to be the ...

. It was released in France on 23 November 2016.

Reception

Guy Lodge of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called the film "an enjoyably slinky but disposable divertissement from director Benoit Jacquot that is unlikely to leave viewers quite as haunted as its characters." Neil Young of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'' commented that "it palpably aspires to be a classily highbrow kind of romantic ghost story with psychological thriller undertones, but falls laughably short of its goals."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Never Ever 2016 films 2010s mystery films 2010s romance films 2010s French-language films French mystery films French romance films Portuguese romance films Films directed by Benoît Jacquot Films about film directors and producers Films about actors Films based on American novels Films produced by Paulo Branco Films scored by Bruno Coulais 2010s French films