Listless ‘Daniela Forever’ is anything but a dream
A grieving man’s pleasant dreams become a nightmare for us in the snorer “Daniela Forever.” But don’t blame this endless sleepwalk on Henry Golding, doing his best to keep us engaged with a Madrid DJ unable to move past his lover’s death. That would be the titular Daniela, a free-spirited bisexual artist with a penchant for miniskirts and white crew socks with strappy sandals, who recently perished in a bus accident.
Golding’s Nicholas thought her the most fascinating woman he’d ever met. You may beg to differ, but for the film’s flimsy purposes, you kinda have to go with it. As played by “White Lotus” vet Beatrice Grannò, Daniela is the very definition of the “manic pixie dream girl,” put on Earth for the sole function of bringing fulfillment to Nicholas. And now that she’s gone, it’s not Nicholas’ intent to mourn for her as much as indulge in self-pity. Think of him as a 3-year-old who’s lost his precious binky.
He mopes and we yawn, until Nicholas’ good pal, Victoria (Nathalie Poza), pulls some strings to gain him admittance to a medical study on the effects of a pill that transforms lucid dreams into a sorta 8K virtual reality. But due to Nicholas’ clumsiness (don’t ask), he forfeits the researcher’s instructions and decides to use the magic tablet to relive the moments he enjoyed with Daniela.
It’s very much the inverse of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Instead of purging the memories of a lover, he’s seeking to repeatedly revisit them. He simply can’t get enough of his “dream girl.” But what’s satisfying for him proves rather dull for third wheels like us. For one thing, Golding and Grannò have zero chemistry. And for another, I found the premise to be highly sexist, involving Nicholas’ complete agency over Daniela. He even gets to choose her metaphysical fate at the conclusion of the study.
The script by Nacho Vigalondo, who also directs, delights in according Nicholas the power to whisk Daniela off from one venue to another simply by opening a door. Perhaps Vigalondo should have left Nicholas in charge of where the movie goes next. It’s bound to be more interesting than the pointless exercise that drags on for a butt-numbing 118 minutes.
It’s tempting to give up on “Daniela Forever,” and I likely would have if not for the striking imagery Vigalondo and director of photography Jon D. Dominguez conjure, using sweeping widescreen to denote Nicholas’ dreams and claustrophobic 4:3 ratios (shot with a camcorder) signifying his waking hours. The filmmakers also make excellent use of the Madrid settings, both the streets and the surreal interiors, including the disco where Nicholas spins the tunes, presumably when he’s not dreaming.
I also appreciate the idea of converting the brain into a facsimile of a time machine. Just think of the fun you could have reliving the best moments of your life simply by drifting off to sleep. But Vigalondo isn’t that adventurous. He builds on the clichéd aspects of a story that has nothing new to say about love, romance, or loss. You’re also advised not to ponder the inherent holes in a conceit that takes place almost entirely inside Nicholas’ brain, a la “Inception.”
Golding, per usual, is outstanding. And in the context of the weak framework, this might be the strongest performance yet by the potential James Bond. But as good as he and the visuals are, they fail to awaken “Daniela Forever” from its cinematically induced coma.
Movie review
Daniela Forever
Rated: R for language
Cast: Henry Golding, Beatrice Grannò, Aura Garrido and Nathalie Poza
Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Writer: Nacho Vigalondo
Runtime: 118 minutes
Where: In theaters July 11 (limited)
Grade: C-
