Nina Forever

We start at the scene of a nasty road accident where a fatality is bound to be on the cards. Meantime, "Holly" (Abigail Hardingham) is splitting up with her boyfriend "David" (Javan Hirst). She works in a supermarket and that's where she encounters "Rob" (Cian Barry) and we've sort of come full circle. His long-term girlfriend "Nina" (Fiona O'Shaughnessy) was the victim of the crash. It doesn't take them long before they get down to some furious jogging but in flagrante delicto, guess who appears? Yep - it's the ex herself. Spooky, eh? Blood is soon everywhere which "Holly" can also see - so no wonder she scarpers. "Rob" has to clean up all this mess and find himself a never ending supply of sheets (and possibly a new laundrette) because this shock doesn't dampen the ardour for long. Pretty soon they have even bought red sheets! Clearly there is some sort of rift in the space-time continuum, as "Nina" becomes more mischievous - but how can the couple be rid of her? For about half an hour this is quite darkly funny, indeed the threat of ethereal interference starts to serve as a turn on, but as the story develops that concept becomes a little too oft recycled and the characters rely just a little too much on getting their kits off. We also have a bit of family melodrama with his ex in-laws and the film starts to come off the rails. The writing and directing Blaine brothers have had a spark of an entertaining and quirky idea here, they just can't really stop it from running too far into the realms of silly farce. Still, it is worth a watch and the actors look like they were enjoying themselves - but it does disappoint.

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!

The work is fresh, unique, and entertaining. It may not have the scope and depth of a great work, but it is certainly good. This is what is good. The photography is guided by an almost nostalgic staging, with the hard shots of a modern view as counterpoint. The sex scenes are so well shot that they are not pornographic, but all the stuff of modern soft porn is there. We are aroused, but the acts are blended with this crazy, complex mix of macabre and psychological challenge that move us away from banal voyeurism to actively dealing with the absurd position of the characters. The staging for the camera is right out of the 40's at times, and posed perfectly for effect. Great camera direction.

The actors give enough to make it work, and that says a lot for them, as this is a very tough film. It moves in a space between black comedy and drama, which is a dangerous place to put actors and camera, easy to bog down, go flat, or list from one genre to another. Acting would have to be light, with dramatic effect made by the mise en scene supporting the effort of the players. This can be said of any film, but in this film, it is a critical necessity. The camera gives us absurd without humor or pathos, simply the view expressing the element of the shot. Which leads to...

The score. This film could never be what it is without the brilliant sound craft. Score, and sound effects have become an other art form in the digital era, and carry a bigger, more fundamental role in creating motion picture work. This film owes lots to a really brilliant scoring, working precisely with the camera for cinematic affect.

This work must be taken as, not a giant, but certainly a shot at form and structure off the path, and done well. Hey, kids, don't try this at home.

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.

...with a bit of Rom-Com/Horror thrown in for good measure.

We all bring baggage into a new relationship - this film makes the invisible visible and takes you on an enjoyable journey through the process of 'letting go': grief, loss, flights of fantasy, darkness, obsession. It's a haunting story of the impact we have on each other, regardless of whether we acknowledge or even see it happening.

Some people are attracted to the Horror elements (i.e. the blood) but don't be put off by that if you're not a Horror fan. I'm not. And the level of gore is appropriate for the telling of this story: being haunted by an ex- who appears in bed with you and your new partner every time you attempt to have sex.

Nina Forever will make you feel, but then it will make you think. Must see!