Always Shine
Always Shine
NR | 25 November 2016 (USA)
Always Shine Trailers

On a trip to Big Sur, two friends, both actresses, try to reconnect with one another. Once alone, the women's suppressed jealousies and deep-seated resentments begin to rise, causing them to lose their grasp on not only the true nature of their relationship, but also their identities.

Reviews
Sexylocher Masterful Movie
Rijndri Load of rubbish!!
Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
spencergrande6 Two women who are aspiring actresses and lifelong friends decide to take a retreat to a beautiful house overlooking the woods and the ocean in Northern California to reconnect after time has started to move them in different directions. One is becoming more famous everyday and is close to her big break, while the other is stuck in neutral. That the woman who is close to making it is also a passive woman, with little of interest to add to any conversation and little in the way of personality, who is prone to saying yes to any man asking her any thing (whether to take her clothes off or to go to dinner with a man her friend clearly likes even though she has a boyfriend she likes) and the other is stubborn, outspoken and "feminist" with a strong personality, is the real crux of the film though. This is a movie about what it takes to make it in Hollywood, but also just as a woman in any walk of life. The prevalent constant sexism under the hood of everyday expectations of being female.There's a naturalness to both performances that works well, and the tension mounts from meaningful dialogue exchanges and the actor's faces. Then the twist happens and while it's interesting in theory, it also sort of halts the movie's progress and momentum. Outside of the clearly labeled theme there isn't enough exploration or insight.
Jeff2sayshi Beth and Anna are young actresses whose careers are going in opposite directions. They grew up as friends, but have lost touch as Anna became jealous of Beth's success. To reconnect they go on a retreat to Big Sur.The movie is supposed to be a thriller, but absolutely nothing thrilling happens. The two talk and talk and talk without anything actually happening. There isn't anything overly threatening occurring. The only thought crossing the viewer's mind is how unlikable Beth is. she's a shell of a person who can't accept her own success. At least Anna feels truer, having some emotion come out of her when needed.I'm not sure anything could have made this bore of a movie any better. It got 2 out of 10 only because the production values were solid, and the actress who played Anna did a good job with the bad material she had.
HypnoticPoison7 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.
trashgang 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