Never Any Blue is the first film from writer and director Charles Curtice’s production company Easy Day Productions. Shot over the course of 12 days and edited together in 4, the film shows no signs of being a rushed job but rather a testament to some incredible hard work and intricate planning. Despite the tight turnaround during filming and post-production, Never Any Blue has been in the works since Curtice was 21, which was when he started writing it. Now, at 24, it’s finally out there and winning awards already.
As well as putting in the hard work behind the scenes, we also are privileged to see Curtice in front of the camera as protagonist Byron McCabe. McCabe is struggling with the death of his fiancé and the role he played in the car accident that killed her. With his life and career completely derailed, Byron drinks himself further into the abyss in order to keep the haunting visions of his fiancé at bay.
To make matters worse, the tabloid newspapers are drawn like vultures to the nightmare that Byron’s life has become. Everywhere he turns, people remind him the tragedy was of his own making. And while his agent has been understanding for the last year or so, patience is starting to run thin. With an image damaged almost beyond repair, Byron has fallen from star money-maker to dead-weight. They’re only willing to drag him so far.
The dramatic increase in alcohol consumption is taking its toll on Byron’s liver. Despite ignoring his doctor’s warnings about this, he does follow through on Dr Abbot’s recommendation for a psychologist. Thinking he has nothing left to lose, Byron heads to his appointment only to discover the psychologist is Dr Abbot’s daughter, Dr Miranda Abbot. Byron approaches Miranda with the same guarded cynicism that has become entrenched in him. But when their relationship is taken outside of the professional realm, true healing seems almost within reach and Byron’s life is no longer meaningless. There is always more to discover. But then also more to lose.
Charles Curtice as Byron brings an undeniable gravity to the film. His presentation of the protagonist is what pulls audiences in and holds their attention for the duration. There’s a grave seriousness to the character that Curtice applies liberally without ever becoming dull or monotonous. In the depths of Byron’s depression, Curtice manages to carve out little pockets of humour, nuance and sensitivity to give a realistic depth to the character. Many of these are drawn out by Kendall Stillman-Riddle as Dr Miranda Abbot. Their on screen relationship develops much of the light in the narrative to create an important contrast to the shade.
Stillman-Riddle works well alongside Curtice however their story feels like it should have been secondary to a more involved narrative rather than the dominating driving force of the plot. The intense and complex emotions that make the story so riveting at times take a back seat in favour of a romantic plotline. The scenes where we see Byron plagued by visions of his fiancé, for example, could have been developed further to convey the pervasive effects of guilt and grief. The bones of the narrative are also begging to support a dramatic character arc for Byron. The fact he is responsible for his fiancé’s death provides the perfect opportunity to create tension for a viewer between their alignment and their allegiance to Byron. Naturally we’re aligned with Byron as the protagonist – we see events from his point of view. But the film seems to be afraid of testing our allegiance to Byron too strenuously, as if drawing too much attention to his actions will irreparably damage a sympathetic viewpoint.
Putting the audience in a position where we’re having to align with and understand someone who has done wrong is not a situation that should be shied away from but rather dived into head first so that all the darkest corners can be explored. It’s not an easily achievable balance, but these tensions and risks are what bring viewers directly inside the narrative rather than letting them observe comfortably from outside. Charles Curtice definitely has the talent to take these risks, and the payoff will no doubt be incredible.
Never Any Blue excels in so many areas, with Graham Skinner winning an award for cinematography and Charles Curtice for Best Actor at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards. The level of quality achieved is indicative of more great things to come. The group of student filmmakers who have come together to work on this project have shown immense talent and dedication. I’m excited to see what’s next from this team!
Watch the full film on Amazon Prime now, or check out the trailer below!