Always Shine

Play trailer

Always Shine

2016

1h 27m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

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.

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

The Blue Lenses

08/25/2018

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

Go to Full Review

Sheri Linden

Los Angeles Times

12/01/2016

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.

Go to Full Review

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

12/01/2016

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

Go to Full Review

Dave Giannini

InSession Film

02/20/2024

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

Go to Full Review

Jason Adams

The Film Experience

07/02/2021

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

Go to Full Review

Andrew Benjamin

Battleship Pretension

03/16/2021

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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Diana S

@DianaWho 11/21/2024

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.

See more

Julian S

@akajulianscott 08/14/2024

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

See more

Melissa L

@Agent99 02/28/2024

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

See more

Green C

@Green242 02/05/2024

The tension was palpable. But I hate blurry endings.

See more

Wayne M

@RT94665746 05/24/2023

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

See more

Dennis G

@RT78884331 12/20/2022

I would have enjoyed watching my wall more.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Sophia Takal

Director

Mackenzie Davis

Anna

Caitlin FitzGerald

Beth

Lawrence Michael Levine

Jesse

Khan Baykal

Paul

Alexander Koch

Matt

Autumn Lights

17%

81%

Autumn Lights

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Autumn Lights

The Fundamentals of Caring

80%

83%

The Fundamentals of Caring

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Fundamentals of Caring

Live Cargo

36%

76%

Live Cargo

Watchlist

Claire in Motion

63%

28%

Claire in Motion

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Claire in Motion

Priceless

%

76%

Priceless

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Priceless

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The 21 Masters Of Horror Shaping the Genre Right Now

On DVD This Week: Jackie, Incarnate, and More

Moana is Certified Fresh

View more photos

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