Hats off to the makeup department: This may be the least glamorous role Catherine Keener has ever taken on, and Charlie Heaton's very countenance is a mere shade of what we've seen from him elsewhere. There's no question that 'No future' is as distinctly, terribly depressing as other pictures that deal with the same subject matter; if this is any less outright bleak, it's only because it's not as plainly visceral in its course of events. The film explores familiar themes of its brethren that handle drug use - isolation, distrust, shame, loss, grief, spiraling despair. At the same time, this treatment of the topic is decidedly quiet and subdued, focusing less on the immediate ruin associated with abuse and more on the (inter)personal drama and devastation that follows in its wake. With that approach cemented, we get a heartfelt earnestness that's cringe-worthy and captivating, heartbreaking and absorbing. Content warnings abound for drug use, and frank discussion thereof, and simply by the nature of the content this won't be for everyone - but I find this to be an outstanding sleeper of a film that deserves far more recognition.
With the more pointedly electrifying narratives and depictions that other titles present, the performances therein are broadly of the vibrant type to readily scream "award-worthy." More low-key features like 'No future' are less likely to so emphatically capture our imagination, but that doesn't make the contributions of those involved any less worthy. Heaton's current visibility, thanks to a certain sci-fi/horror series, arguably makes him most identifiable to audiences. In protagonist Will we see the same forlorn sullenness and boiling spectrum of emotions he embodies as Jonathan Byers in 'Stranger things' - yet if Netflix's premier paranormal program allows Heaton to illustrate a slightly more adventure-oriented side of his personality, 'No future' enables him to dig deep and embrace the desolation of a character struggling on a very personal level to keep their grip. Keener is more well known to me, having enjoyed a long and fruitful career, and if Claire is less animated than some of the other parts Keener has taken on, the trade-off is tremendous pain at once hollow, stinging, and inescapable. We see it here with Heaton, too, but Keener especially wields such fantastic nuance, range, and presence that every word and every look carries multitudes - and when her voice cracks in a moment of sorrow, by the gods, it's heart-rending.
None of this is to count out the supporting cast, with Rosa Salazar and Jackie Earle Haley particularly impressing with displays of acting that nearly match the stars' in roles that serve to some extent as foils to the most prominent wreckage. Yet all of this is as much a credit to the swell cast as it is to the superb writing of filmmakers Andrew Irvine and Mark Smoot that allows the actors to inhabit their characters so freely and completely. Neither Irvine nor Smoot seem to have many features under their belts, but experience or lack thereof is no indicator of quality - indeed, in my opinion they knew exactly what they were doing, and what this picture needed. The dialogue, narrative, and scene writing shifts moods between biting, hopeful, warm, stark, jarring, and tragic and poignant. The story on hand is small in scope yet possesses an undeniable universality, and every little moment that works to build it is rich and engrossing, and very carefully laid out with what surely appears to be a practiced hand. The greatest trick of all, though, is in penning the characters, and the lead roles specifically. Perhaps I'm just projecting onto Heaton and Keener, but I feel like Irvine and Smoot very capably fashioned the structure of these figures, providing a foundation for the players to build upon as they would - and with that, the stars were given a fine opportunity to plumb the utmost depths of Will and Claire's mentalities as they saw fit. And they most certainly took advantage of that opportunity.
'No future' is rounded out with solid technical craft and work behind the scenes, and I'd be remiss not to also mention keen use of the sas song "Time after time." Moreover, I love Jon Natchez's score - minimal, and generally keeping to the background, yet definitely lending to the somber air of anguish and desperation that characterizes the movie. When all is said and done, I honestly think this is a marvelous film. It doesn't grab our attention with the same urgency as some other titles one could cite, but as far as I'm concerned that same declination of knee-jerk luminosity is a key element of what makes this so wonderfully satisfying. The hushed tone in this instance works in favor of the tale being told, and one may say it gives us a chance to see another side of the actors. And at length, once more - between those performances and the skillful writing, to say nothing of the production otherwise, I think this is a stupendous, compelling drama that's well worth seeking out. Everyone who worked on it should be proud; 'No future' earns my enthusiastic recommendation.
