Directed by Katherine Díaz González and written by David Bohorquez, when Mia is abducted by her troubled high school ex-boyfriend and forced to play along with his delusional version of the life they were “meant” to have, she’ll have to use all her wits to outsmart him and escape. Starring: KateLynn E. Newberry, Morgan Middlebrook, Elizabeth Grace Garapic, Grant McGill, William Rodford Nelson and Eli Cottle.
At this point, it’s well established that horror is a perfect genre to explore issues like trauma, abuse and obsession, and Forever Mia delves into all three. It’s a very familiar setup, a man obsessed with a woman from his past, comes across her again and kidnaps her to force her to love him. The unusual element though is how low effort the kidnapping is, Noah (Morgan Middlebrook) simply takes her home and locks up the house, but doesn’t create any control of the environment, it’s akin to a hoarder’s home, and leaves her surrounded by things she could fight back with. Katherine Díaz González and David Bohorquez are then asking viewers to suspend a large amount of disbelief that Mia (KateLynn E. Newberry) couldn’t escape or disable her captor much sooner.
The plot is far too basic, which is a shame given how relevant and important the issue of violence against women is. It lacks realism and has a disappointingly light touch, leaning into sentimentality. There isn’t a lot of genuine emotion, it’s a simple path from A to B, and there isn’t really any sort of ‘using her wits’ to attempt to escape or manipulate her kidnapper, it’s all mostly common sense.
Those elements are already holding back Forever Mia, but it also struggles with its style. It’s an everyday aesthetic, it never truly attempts to add an edge of darkness, violence or intensity. González never manages to find that thriller tone, the atmosphere remains very much in a dramatic realm. They miss out on the opportunity to build that race against the clock, impending doom or sinister side.
Although Morgan Middlebrook does attempt to bring that insidious touch through with his performance as Noah. He does a great job, it’s convincing, slightly twisted, a little manic-depressive, there’s a naivety to it and a lot of aggression, he ticks all the right boxes. Whereas KateLynn E. Newberry struggles slightly with Mia, her personality is never fully realised, there’s a softness to her which doesn’t quite work, and she’s fairly old-fashioned which was a strange choice.
Forever Mia is clumsy and cluttered, there’s a solid drama-led thriller foundation, but the execution is ultimately forgettable. The plot finds few obstacles to explore, the path is a straight shot from the opening to the credits. It can be heavy-handed at times, and it lacks the sharpness and control you’d expect from this type of story emanating with obsession. Morgan Middlebrook gives a strong, predatory performance which is a big part of what keeps the film going, but without a more distinct visual style or more complex story to back him up, there isn’t a great deal to offer, as the filmmakers are playing things far too safe.
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