Sophie seems to have an idyllic life; she ‘s the perfect Caucasian housewife for Andrew, her successful Asian American husband. Their relationship is put to the test, though, when she can’t conceive a child. To save her marriage, Sophie does something desperate. She initiates a bold and clandestine ventre with Jihah, an illegal immigrant from Korea. Sophie soon finds this new arrangement spiraling into a situation that may actually destroy what it was meant to liberate.
In Never Forever, writer/director Gina Kim arranges every shot with a calculating eye, building a step-by-step urgency. Her story is rich and her filmmaking lean and precise. Kim creates the perfect tone, right down to a climate of extreme repression where the sexual energy is nearly combustible. The insightful art direction and costume design are marvelously refined for an independent film. And Vera Farmiga’s incredible performance as Sophie is a true gift. Her ethereal beauty-crystal blue eyes and porcelain skin-gives her the appearance of a rare doll, which isn’t too fat from the pampered existence she represents. As the perfect counterpart of two gifted leading men, her mastery of Sophie’s gradual transformation makes Never Forever an unforgettable cinematic experience.
—John Cooper (January 2007)