This film had some good potential with an interesting story, but it ended up heading into a place we are all quite familiar with through experiences from other films made in the past, which have left their own indelible marks through their originality and innovativeness. Always Shine simply fell into the trap of imitating those films. The whole horror/thriller elements, including frames edited in between shots intended to create a shocking effect, felt forced. Instead, the film could have been developed into a solid psychological drama. The horror thing just killed the subtlety of the film by making it too predictable and simple.
Review of Always Shine
