Never Let Go(2024)

Plot Summary

• Momma and her two young children Nolan and Samuel live in a cabin in a large forest. According to Momma, a supernatural force known as "The Evil" has spread across the world, leaving them the only survivors.Momma is besieged by visions of supernatural entities that her sons cannot see but believe are real. The family spends their days foraging and hunting for food. To prevent the Evil from touching them, which Momma says ensures possession, the family must have ropes tied when they leave the house, connecting them back to the building. The boys must also chant a daily prayer to the house in thanks for it keeping them safe from the Evil.While out foraging one day, Samuel and Nolan get into an argument until Nolan intentionally steps on Samuel's rope, causing Samuel to fall, get disconnected from his rope, and break his ankle. Nolan unties himself to try and rescue Samuel. The boys are rescued by Momma, who encounters the Evil in the shape of her mother. As Samuel recovers from his fall, Nolan, who has started to doubt his mother's claims, questions him on what he saw but Samuel dismisses his suspicions.A brutal winter forces the family to use up a large amount of their stockpiled food, while preventing them from growing or hunting new food. Meanwhile, Momma's visions intensify, including the boys' father and her husband, whom she killed, along with her own mother and father as well as that of a mutilated Nolan. Sensing discontent from her sons, Momma tells them about her old life in the city and shows them an old Polaroid camera with one photo left.Now fully out of food and forced to eat tree bark, Momma states that they need to kill and eat the family dog. When Momma takes the dog into the greenhouse to kill him, Nolan cuts her rope and locks her inside, hoping she will see the Evil is not real. Momma, encountering the Evil in her mother's form, commits suicide in front of Nolan. Samuel blames Nolan for causing Momma's death. As they continue to starve alone, Samuel's behavior becomes more erratic and threatening.Using the extra free rope from his mother, Nolan ventures further out and finds an empty road. Returning to the house, he encounters a hiker who has heard his calls for help. As the hiker grows increasingly concerned over Nolan's story and living conditions, Samuel confronts him with a crossbow. Although Nolan and the hiker try to Doe-escalate the situation, Samuel shoots the hiker. Nolan follows the wounded hiker as he calls 911 and dies, then retrieves his backpack filled with food. That night, a young girl arrives at the property claiming to be the hiker's daughter and confronts Samuel. Noticing that Samuel has her father's flashlight, she flees as he chases after her. The girl reveals herself to be the Evil and manages to touch Samuel.Back at the house, Samuel, now seemingly possessed and exhibiting the erratic behavior, tries to kill Nolan. Samuel sets the house on fire as Nolan is confronted by the Evil in the form of Momma. Nolan drags Momma into a small crawlspace in the house that gives shelter to the pair of them from the fire. The Evil sheds Momma's skin to reveal a snake-like creature that dissipates as Nolan hugs it. The fire burns the house down and Samuel takes the last photo with the Polaroid. Paramedics arrive and retrieve Nolan from the remains of the house. As he is flown away, Nolan asks where Samuel is and sees that he too has been rescued. The helicopter reaches civilization, revealing that Momma was lying all along. Samuel quietly whispers to Nolan "She loves me more" as the Polaroid he took is shown, revealing the Evil was indeed real and touched him.

Storyline

• In an isolated cabin in the woods, Momma lives with her two sons, the boys Samuel "Sam" and Nolan, and the dog Coda scared by the evil in the surrounded forest. She considers the cabin their holy ground and ties themselves to ropes when they need to go to the woods to hunt small animals or collect supplies. When there is a scarcity of food for their survival, Nolan questions his mother whether evil really exists. Momma decides to kill Coda, and Nolan closes her in the greenhouse and cuts the rope. She sees evil coming to her and commits suicide with a piece of glass. Now the boys are starving alone in the woods, until the day a hiker passes by the cabin and a tragic thing happens. — Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil