Always Shine

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Always Shine

2016

1h 27m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

51%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Two women, both actresses with differing degrees of success, travel north from Los Angeles to Big Sur for a weekend vacation. Both see the trip as an opportunity to reconnect after years of competition and jealousy have driven a wedge between them. Upon arrival at their isolated forest retreat, the pair discover that their once intimate friendship has deteriorated into forced conversations, betrayals, petty jealousies, and deep-seated resentment.

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Critics Consensus

The tense and well-acted Always Shine tells an absorbing story while making a sharp, thought-provoking statement on women's roles in Hollywood.

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Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

The Blue Lenses

Always Shine is a remarkable film carried by a strong script and even stronger performances.

Aug 25, 2018

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Sheri Linden

Los Angeles Times

As the fog closes in, so too does the foreboding, expertly tuned to fraught dissonance by director Sophia Takal, who blends art-house flourishes with such horror conventions as the spotty cellphone reception that signals trouble.

Dec 1, 2016

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

[Takal has] created two characters with distinctly different approaches to femininity, but these are hard to separate from the women's habitual self-regard.

Dec 1, 2016

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Dave Giannini

InSession Film

In Always Shine, Sophia Takal solidified herself as a young director to watch

Feb 20, 2024

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Jason Adams

The Film Experience

The performative commingling of these two still fresh talents is a blast

Jul 2, 2021

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Andrew Benjamin

Battleship Pretension

The threats grow more intense, the "stakes" constantly raised, the jump scares and music blasts louder. It becomes a more "intellectual" version of the cheap horror work it decries. The threats remain superficial.

Mar 16, 2021

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Diana S

My review contains spoilers!! Story is a bit convoluted, but the truth is, a movie about a young failing actress going to her rich family's fancy cabin in the woods to kill herself probably wouldn't hold the audience's attention, so the thriller elements falsely increase the stakes. Relevant thematically though and the actresses were both great.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/21/24

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Julian S

You might find the deliberately ambiguous ending disappointing at first, but this gripping slow burn will stay with you long after it ends.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/14/24

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Melissa L

This was just sad. Not much of a horror move. I wouldn't recommend seeing it.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/28/24

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Green C

The tension was palpable. But I hate blurry endings.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/24

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Wayne M

Lots of captivating subtext builds the tension between the two leads and creates an entertaining ride.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/24/23

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Dennis G

I would have enjoyed watching my wall more.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/20/22

Full Review

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Sophia Takal

Director

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Anna

Caitlin FitzGerald

Beth

Lawrence Michael Levine

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Synopsis

Two women, both actresses with differing degrees of success, travel north from Los Angeles to Big Sur for a weekend vacation. Both see the trip as an opportunity to reconnect after years of competition and jealousy have driven a wedge between them. Upon arrival at their isolated forest retreat, the pair discover that their once intimate friendship has deteriorated into forced conversations, betrayals, petty jealousies, and deep-seated resentment.

Director: Sophia Takal
Producer: Sophia Takal, Lawrence Michael Levine, Pierce Varous
Screenwriter: Lawrence Michael Levine
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Production Co: Salem Street Entertainment, Visit Films
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 25, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 7, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.2K
Runtime: 1h 27m

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