By Jacqueline Valencia in Next Projecion
September 12th, 2017  

dir: Kathleen Hepburn

Director Kathleen Hepburn’s debut, Never Steady, Never Still is the story of an eighteen year old oil worker Jamie (Théodore Pellerin) whose mother (Shirley Henderson) has been struggling with Parkinson’s for over seventeen years. There are some really strong performances here. Pellerin plays Jamie with a believable nuance and vulnerability that makes him an actor to look out for. Henderson, however, steals each scene she’s in as Judy. Her work here is heart wrenching and at times hard to watch because of how much compassion and love that seems to have gone into her role.

This is a slice of life film that follows characters in very few developments, but fleshes out stories through moments. While that might not make a it a blockbuster film, it is a unique insight into the lives of people who find themselves in directionless situations. I, for one, enjoy these types of films because not everything has to be hunky dory and tied up neatly to make a good film. In fact, it is the creative retelling of hard lives that makes this film a necessary watch.