Nina Forever

Nina Forever is a 2015 British horror comedy-drama film that skilfully intertwines life, love, grief, and the supernatural to bring its audience an unexpected serving of dark yet comical emotion. It’s characterised by a unique plotline that merges two seemingly mismatched genres – romantically toxic melodrama and gruesome horror – to create something surprisingly creative and eccentric. Directed by the Blaine Brothers – Ben Blaine and Chris Blaine – the film caters to a niche audience that appreciates the unusual combination of thought-provoking themes, dark humour, and violence nesting within a tale of romance.

Cian Barry stars as Rob, a broken-hearted supermarket worker who’s attempting to cope with the tragic death of his girlfriend, Nina (Fiona O'Shaughnessy), who died in a car accident. Saddled with sorrow and guilt, he contemplates ending his life until he crosses paths with Holly (Abigail Hardingham), an ambitious paramedic trainee with an enigmatic gravitation towards car crash victims. Intrigued by Rob's tragic background, Holly becomes drawn to him, and the empathetic bond they develop gradually blossoms into a romantic relationship.

Nevertheless, there's an eerie twist to the narrative – the ghost of Nina interferes with the couple's blossoming relationship repeatedly in an unusual and morbid manner. As Rob and Holly attempt to get intimate, Nina's bloody corpse materializes in bed with them, making her presence known through ghostly disruptions that are both horrifying and absurd. She seems determined to linger in Rob's life, persisting in a state between existence and non-existence, her presence a permanent reminder of Rob's past that continues to haunt his ongoing attempts to move on.

Nina Forever doesn’t shy away from its core eccentricity. Instead, it clutches onto it tightly, its genre discontinuity becoming one of its most distinctive features. The film’s exploration of the shattering urgent demands of the deceased vis-a-vis the rights of the living forms an intense segue that maximizes its effective existence as a horror comedy. There’s nothing particularly paranormal about Nina’s appearances. Most of the time, they are alarmingly normal, replete with sarcastic comments and patronising one-liners, stripping away the uncanny and leaving behind the tormented and painfully human.

The Blaine Brothers bring in a certain charm with their unique perspective on how individuals cope with trauma, grief, and the desperation of clinging onto the living echoes of the departed. The acting performances are laudable, with Cian Barry, Abigail Hardingham, and Fiona O'Shaughnessy delivering notably exceptional performances. Barry brings life to the dejected, complex character of Rob while Hardingham skillfully portrays Holly's incessant struggle between her feelings for Rob and the discomfort surrounding Nina's apparitions. O'Shaughnessy’s Nina, with all her acerbic wit, charm, and melancholy, effectively becomes a tangible, haunting spectre of her own memory.

Although not laden with jump scares that are the usual staple of horror flicks, Nina Forever still manages to maintain an eerie atmosphere, complemented by its consistent pacing and unexpected direction. The cinematography and the use of visual and audio cues further amplify the film’s tension. The special effects are disturbing but practical, contributing to the story in an interesting, unsettling way. The result is an atmospherically strange and eerie movie experience that serves to be both funny and horrifically bizarre.

While the film might not appeal to everyone due to its strikingly original and peculiar mix of genres, those who appreciate offbeat narratives with careful character development will find it meaningful. Each character's journey through their personal grief and attempts to forge a new path gives depth to the plotline, making Nina Forever a surprisingly tender exploration of coming to terms with the death of a loved one.

Gritty, artistic, and darkly humorous, Nina Forever breaks the traditional shackles of genre and explores the macabre and the romantic in a unique fashion. It is a peculiarly poignant love story that intertwines the intimate, the macabre, and the profoundly therapeutic in a visually and emotionally compelling package. In essence, it is a story of how the past can both nourish and obstruct the future, a morbidly comedic exploration of how even in death, love weathers on.