‘This Will Never Work’ Is A Family Drama Done Right

Marina and Nicco

A world war from within the family unit.

            In between all the notes and scribbles that I wrote down while watching this brutal family therapy session of a film called This Will Never Work, this line stuck out to me when compared to everything else. Because, frankly - that’s what this movie is. As soon as all the members of this unit are accounted for and present in the same room, that’s when the lines are drawn and the gloves come off. In all honesty, that’s also the moment when you can no longer take your eyes off the screen.

            Given just one main space and a handful of cast members, Niccolo Aeed and Marina Tempelsman easily create one of the most captivating atmospheres that I’ve ever come to witness. This is all the duo needs. You can see by watching this movie that this director and writer duo make it their mission to fine tune right into dysfunctional families and the end result is a masterclass in familial chaos.

What starts out as a supposed intervention for an unsuspecting family member opens up into a much deeper wound that easily spills into the entire runtime of the movie. Secrets come to life, relationships that were thought to be the strongest go through unimaginable highs and lows and the complete and utter lives of these characters are put through a microscope for the audience to review and relate to. Fair warning, the drama hits much stronger than the comedy but I’m not complaining one bit.

            Nothing makes a debut feature film stronger than the cast members who bring forth the story and that aspect shines particularly bright in this case. The more familiar faces within This Will Never Work like actors Ron Canada (playing Uncle Earl) and Peter Grosz (portraying the first time mediator Trevor) help make this film a bit more fairly noticeable for a mainstream audience. The more lighthearted veins of this film come through thanks to brothers Bill and Majd (respectively brought to life by Jerimiyah Dunbar and Usama Siddiquee).

But, there is no question who the true stars of the screen are in this feature. Portia, Amandla Jahava and Marinda Anderson are truly a force to be reckoned with in This Will Never Work. These three women are astonishing. You will quickly find yourself being completely silent because you will want to hear what they have to say to each other. Honestly, what they discuss and how they get to those revelations might just be triggering for some but becoming a fly on the wall while these characters unearth years and years of debilitating experiences is a journey unlike no other.

The gravitas in which they take the room and deliver their lines could rival any star in a big screen picture. Admittedly, I was first thrown off by the extended flashbacks and cutaways regarding their backstories - but once I was at the conclusion, my opinion changed. Every bit of traveling along the timeline was needed for this raw, intimate journey. At the end of the day, This Will Never Work takes on a huge responsibility as a cinematic creation.

In the role of filmmakers, Marina and Nicco took what many would consider to be a very sensitive situation and decided to tack on the goal of making it immensely entertaining for audiences. Between Uncle Earl’s rather unique methods of sibling restoration by literally having the sisters fight it out, Trevor crashing out numerous times over this family’s manipulation of his services or Amanda’s defensive (and warranted) verbal lunges towards anybody who tries to get at her - this therapeutic session certainly gets more than a little crazy.

In saying that though, there are some lines in the script (few and far between) that are a bit too weighty for their own good and momentarily pull you out of the movie’s spell. That superfluous feeling floats away quickly though as This Will Never Work moves fast and offers no apologies about its swift pacing. Generally speaking, this movie feels all too real and that’s exactly the place where its best qualities come from.

I will give This Will Never Work a 5 out of 5.

Having its world premiere at this year’s Brooklyn Film Festival, This Will Never Work swooped up the Outstanding Achievement for Best Screenplay award. With the movie just shown at the Calgary International Film Festival, the next two stops are the SoHo International Film Festival and the Dumbo Film Festival.

The best way to look out for more future screenings or any distribution deals is by checking out https://thiswillneverworkfilm.com/ whenever possible or joining the movie’s official mailing list here: https://thiswillneverworkfilm.com/new-page.