Customer Reviews

Never Forever

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There's something about 'Never Forever' that was so intriguing to me- I rented it and watched it 3 times. I later decided I really wanted to own it.

Vera Farmiga plays Sophie Lee, an upper class woman married to a successful Korean businessman who is troubled and depressed. The couple desperately want children but the husband is unable to make Sophie conceive. After his suicide attempt, Sophie steps well out of her comfortable world and in desperation secretly propositions a poor illegal Korean alien to get her pregnant. It is amazing to watch her and her 'hired man' move from total strangers 'in business' to an unexpected and very passionate love affair which opens a fresh world for Sophie, free from her husband's controlling nature. I highly recommend it.

NEVER FOREVER is a well-developed, well-written and well-directed film by Gina Kim, and with an actress with the stature of Vera Farmiga in the difficult lead role, it is frustrating to see that this fine film didn't last on theater screens. But as with many of the other treasurable small independent films, this one feels even better in the privacy of the home - the small screen somehow allows the powerful emotions of the story to be more focused.

Sophie (Vera Farmiga) is the beautiful Caucasian wife of wealthy and respected Korean Andrew (David Lee McInnis) and the couple seem to have it all - looks, a close-knit family, beautiful home, etc. - but there is an underlying tension: Sophie and Andrew have been unable to conceive and bear a child, a fact that troubles Andrew's very orthodox Christian family and profoundly affects Andrew's sense of worth. Though the couple has sought professional assistance, their marriage remains barren. Andrew's fragile stance results in a suicide attempt and in trying to correct the cause of this tragedy, Sophie decides she will attempt to conceive from a donor. Because both members of a couple must consent to artificial insemination, Sophie's plan is thwarted except for one aspect: visiting the clinic she has selected is a young Korean man named Jihah (Jung-woo Ha) who is attempting to be a sperm donor but is rejected because he is an illegal immigrant. Overhearing this exchange, Sophie follows Jihah and finally discovers where he lives. She approaches him with a business deal - she will pay him $300. for each session and when she becomes pregnant she will pay him $30,000. Jihah is shy at first, but he is working in a meat packing plant and dry cleaners trying to save enough money to bring his girlfriend from Korea to the USA. Desperate for money Jihah consents and Sophie begins her visits to him when her cycle is conducive to conception. The relationship is one of quick polite encounters, careful to avoid interpersonal factors that might make either partner uncomfortable. But a sense of interdependence evolves, and when Sophie achieves pregnancy, the couple decides to part ways.

Sophie's pregnancy at first overjoys Andrew and his family and the couple's future looks bright. But both Sophie and Jihah are unable to dismiss the intimacy of the relationship they have developed, Andrew discovers Sophie's adventure, and the marriage falls apart while Jihah informs his girlfriend in Korea that he will never be able to bring her to America. At this vulnerable point the film simply ends - some years later Sophie is at the beach with her son and is again very pregnant and the viewer is left to decide the resolution.

Vera Farmiga is even more beautiful in this role than her many other roles and never for a moment loses our empathy and understanding of the decisions she makes. Both of the men are strong as are the various actors who flesh out the film. This is a tough topic to relate, but writer/director Gina Kim allows the acts of love to be the memorable echo the film leaves behind. Grady Harp, August 08

I agree with the other reviewer that if it weren't for Netflix, I wouldn't have discovered this film. After watching it, then rewatching it online, I was lucky enough to find it in a sale bin at Blockbuster. Vera is absolutely magnificent as the passionate wife of a Korean American who wants desperately to give him the child that both he and his family expects. He's infertile, so she pays an illegal immigrant Korean to impregnate her, Jung Woo-ha (who is a well know actor in Korea), and what starts as business becomes something else entirely. The music is wonderful and this is a strong writing of love happening despite one's intentions.

I am an avid admirer of Ha Jung Woo. He is such a splendid actor. In this role he plays a difficult character and makes it believable. Farmiga also is just the actress to play this lead against Ha. It was quite believeble for me to watch her difficult decision, because in a Korean chaebol family it is absolutely required that the son will have a child and preferably a boy. It was his inability, and she took her own strength to find a way to satisfy her in-laws. Despite the awkwardness she was ultimately vulnerable to the emotions that developed between her and the Korean worker who needed money. Theycould not avoid the passion between them. I was constantly holding my breath to see them go over the edge of the 'business arrangement'. Ha just became irresistible to her.
. I have only one slight critical note. I wanted to see Ha Jung Woo with her and his two children in the beach scene at the end. You just know they are a happy family and she is finally a glowing woman who is satisfied with her life.
I truly loved this film and highly recommend it.
To appreciate the breadth of Ha Jung Woo as a serious actor it is fascinating to watch him in another film ..'The Chaser'.
Very harsh and a very heavy sinister film.

I really loved this movie. I was a little skeptical on renting it at first because I had never heard of it and I pride myself on being a huge movie person. Vera was amazing and so was Jung. I have always been a sucker for a love story. I loved the timeline of the movie. How slowly they went from never speaking to talking openly. Amazing movie. Definitely will be purchasing on DVD for my collection.

The ending confused and frustrated me at first. But now I chose to believe that they were able to be together somehow.

I love films that showcase a lot of character development. Vera Farmiga is one of my favorite actresses when it comes to disappearing in a role, and she gives such a subtle and nuanced performance in this film. Her face and body language says it all (she could have totally been a silent film actress). And for this being one of Jung-Woo Ha's films, I am impressed. I look forward to seeing more of his films.

"Never Forever" is one of the 5 star movies that I have collected over
the years. Excellent story, great acting, great photography, background music, handsome actors. It is a shame such good movies do not get the same publicity that big studio movies get.

Even better than I anticipated !

The story is intensly human and touching.

Vera Farmiga is for one, a unqiue and true actress. Rarely do I see a performance as hers.. I felt Ms. Farmiga's character; Sophie Lee was true and real.

Kudos to the whole cast, and Gina Kim whom we hopefully see more of.

But the end is tricky.. I mean it's fairly (I think) easy to assume that Sophie and Ji Hah are together in the end. But you could also think (maybe) that Sophie finally found something in her life (assuming Ji Haha was sent back to Korea, and that was it) carrying a baby with Andrew besides caring for her and Ji Hah's..

What DO YOU THINK? How did it end, really?

SPOILER ALERT> People think that the ending is not clear. IT IS. He had one call allowed from jail and she answered it! They're a happy family. But I think the director wanted to show that Sophie found peace within herself and that she wasn't going to do anything to please anyone else if it didn't please her. I think it was a great ending, except the fact that the kid looked TOTALLY white, not half asian. That's the only part that had me confused wondering if she even had a korean husband.

Gina Kim's first attempt at a big film with known actors was a courageous project with a harsh subject matter. She decided to write and direct a film that captures the personal transformation of an emotionally stunted woman, who in short order, sacrifices herself for the sake of her husband's happiness but ends up finding love, passion and inner peace through motherhood.

Vera Farmiga plays the lead role, showcasing her inter-racial Korean marriage to a wealthy New York lawyer. Their inability to have a child has driven a wedge between them that appears to be destroying their partnership. Through a variety of scenes and events, she decides to pay for the "donations" of another Korean man to help anonymously become pregnant and save her marriage. The remainder of the film shows the inevitable destruction of her relationship and the consequences of creating such a pact. Several other small plot lines play out to show the culture she lives in, including an overbearing mother-in-law and Korean pastor who both impose their faith-laden ways in trying to make her become pregnant.

The film is shot with long scenes of non-dialogue and lengthy views of New York City. The sex scenes are graphic yet passionate, mainly because Vera made all of her intimacy so heartfelt. She is very believable in displaying her transformation, and you realize the film becomes all about her and not the actual relationships. The ending was deliberately vague, but if you look closely at the small details, there are several clues as to what has happened.

The DVD has two small featurettes (3 and 7 minutes) that provide little regarding the film. One is shot in Korean with no English subtitles, the other is more of a blooper and gag reel of the actors during filming with no narration. Only 1/5 of the film is Korean with English subs, the rest is all in English. The film is a definite watch for Vera's fans, as the other two cast mates are awkward unknowns and the camera work of New York is sub-standard, but tolerable.