A story of love, grief, and therapy gone wrong, Daniela Forever debuted at Glasgow Film Festival on 3 March.
Daniela Forever follows the life of Nicolas (Henry Golding), who loses his partner Daniela (Beatrice Granno) in a sudden car accident and struggles to cope with the loss. Since therapy does him no good, Nicolas starts using a drug to give him lucid dreams as a coping mechanism but ends up dreaming of Daniela and clinging even tighter onto his grief.
By its concept alone, Daniela Forever is deeply intriguing, and the way the story unravels is even more compelling. Dealing with themes of grief, love, and possessiveness, over the course of the film we see Nicolas grow increasingly obsessed with dream-Daniela. At first, he delights in her company, but as she gains agency, turning from a memory into a full-fledged person, he resents her independence.
The film tackles complex topics like selective memory and grieving the idea of someone rather than who they really were, but unfortunately, the heavy subject matter is undercut by the contrived need to make Daniela Forever a comedy. For every heart-wrenching moment, there is a grating comedic scene with the acting and script of a bad YouTube sketch.
It’s obvious that Henry Golding is having fun with the role, but that is not enough for a film with such dense ideas. He thrives in the more comedic moments, flexing his ability to be animated, but every emotional moment falls flat. At the climax, when he breaks down in tears, we are offered no more than a two-second whimper and a wipe at his dry eyes.
Daniela Forever is a decent watch, with deliberate sound design and a fantastic concept, but it could have been so much more. The film is far from bad, but it is incredibly frustrating. What had the potential to be an emotional staple in modern sci-fi is, in execution, a lukewarm experience.
My name is Evan (he/him). I am currently studying English and journalism at Strathclyde University, and regularly host a show as part of the Fusion Radio society. Outside of Strath, I write novels and run Doombox Music, a music journalism website where I write weekly reviews and conduct interviews with up-and-coming musicians.
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