Sci-fi has always been a strong, emotional avenue to explore the human condition, allowing filmmakers to successfully weave surreal, futuristic concepts to mirror our most grounded feelings. Films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Her, and even Reminiscence have shown that technology, memory, and love can intertwine to create stories that resonate on a deep, affecting level. Attempting to follow in their footsteps through the allure of lucid dreaming as a means to explore grief and emotional dependency is Nacho Vigalondo’s Daniela Forever. Having its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, the visually striking and emotionally charged film steadily excels on the shoulders of Henry Golding’s raw, gripping performance but leaves much of its ambitious, complex concept underdeveloped.

While the film recalls the spirit of Solaris and Inception through Vigalondo’s signature whimsy and provocative wit seen in previous TIFF offerings like Colossal, Daniela Forever is not at all the kind of love story you would imagine. Instead, it leans into love, grief, and the toxicity we lay out for ourselves when we refuse to seek help. It also chews into the darker side of love through a tale that doesn’t exactly showcase its protagonist in the most charming light. In fact, it gets pretty dark and obsessive in a very Vertigo way. Shot entirely on location in Madrid, the film enhances its atmospheric tension and emotion through an astonishing visual style that enriches the narrative. Yet even as Golding delivers one of his most nuanced performances to date, anchoring the film’s heartfelt intensity, the narrative struggles to amplify its unresolved themes and supporting characters for a larger conversation about grief.

What Is ‘Daniela Forever’ About?
Image via TIFF

Exploring the depths of grief and obsession through a unique blend of sci-fi and a slow-burn, emotional drama, Daniela Forever opens up with enough mystery to pull you in. Setting the tone of the film’s happier moments from the get-go, the nearly two-hour feature follows Nicolas (Golding), a British DJ living in Madrid who meets the sweet, caring Daniela (Beatrice Grannò). It’s a charming, simple story at first highlighting the best of boy meets girl, boy falls in love, and now can’t live without her. However, as the film tracks the events of their life together, it also takes audiences for a turn that finds Nicolas grieving Daniela. Struggling to move on, his friend Victoria (Nathalie Poza) suggests he sign up for a clinical study for a drug that allows its users to control their dreamscapes and reconstruct their lives.

Utilized as a form of grief control and overcoming depression, Nicolas is hesitant but finds himself after an accident one night leaning into his pain. Instead of using the drug as a way to move on, he chooses to recreate Daniela in his dreams, seeking solace in his very idealized version of their past. With the aid of these pills, Daniela is alive. But it’s through Nicolas’ paragon that we discover evidence of dysfunction between the two. Slowly, his descent into obsession and control for perfection has him fixated on recreating a lost love while manipulating and expanding his surroundings to fit this vision. This effort calls back potently to Vertigo, where the Hitchcockian character (much like Nicolas), was unable to accept the loss of his love and molded so much of his reality to specific, individual desires. Often at the expense of their mental stability, Nicolas’ efforts to reshape Daniela’s memories echo those in the Alfred Hitchcock classic, highlighting obsessive attachment and the dangers of trying to rewrite one’s personal history.

As Nicolas loses touch with reality and his dreams begin to blur in his waking life, Vigalondo uses a unique approach to distinguish between the dream world and the real world. Echoing feelings stemming from grief and pain, Nicolas’ drab, muted real life is boxed into a 4:3 aspect ratio with a ‘90s filter that is grainy and dark. But as was his life with Daniela, the dream world is reinvigorated in a 16:9 widescreen tableau that is modern with vibrant colors, highlighting the fantasy world. It’s a sharp, commendable technique that is effective and creates an engrossing engagement. While Daniela Forever progresses at a steady pace, the interplay between the two worlds underscores the complexity of moving on from loss and the dangers of escaping into self-created illusions.

‘Daniela Forever’ Suffers From an Underdeveloped Narrative
Image via TIFF

There’s no denying that Daniela Forever has an inventive premise. Allowing for a blend of science fiction and emotional drama reminiscent of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the film is a stylish exploration of grief and mourning. Through the clinical trials, we learn Nicolas is trapped and unable to help himself. Willing to risk his health for the facade of happiness, the film does a commendable job of establishing themes needed to recognize this subject matter. But it’s the lack of unthreading those weaved narratives that cut the film at its legs. While the visual shifts are compelling, the film lingers too long at times on certain moments, making the dream world feel a bit tiresome.

Nicolas is trying his best to live out previous memories with Daniela in a Groundhog Day scenario, but it’s the lack of narrative direction in these sequences that detracts from the film’s overall, steady pacing. If the dream world is meant to represent Nicolas’ emotional problems, Vigalondo needed to better balance these scenes with tension or a progression seen in the real world. The characters in Nicolas’ real life are one-dimensional, lacking the complexity needed for a film this deep, beaming with metaphors and allegories. With a premise that offers rich potential for exploring identity within the realm of grief and self-control, Daniela Forever misses its best opportunities to dig deeper, especially as Nicolas becomes selfish in the audience’s eyes and starts to devolve into a more controlling boyfriend who is no longer sincerely charming. The film forgoes the implications of these toxic tendencies, even as Dream Daniela works to assert her independence.

While Daniela Forever does a decent job of establishing Nicolas’ character, it’s the darker traits when he becomes obsessed with his dream life that deserves some more attention. During the film’s second half, we are introduced to another character — Daniela’s ex-girlfriend who invades Nicolas’ dreams. Stemming from his insecurities, the neglect of building suspense or resolving key themes weakens the story. In failing to give weight to Nicolas’ actions in either world, the film feels aimless, leaving so much undeveloped, like its supporting characters. We never get a chance to understand much of Daniela in either world outside of Nicolas’ idealization, let alone his friends or even the ex-girlfriend, who are supposedly worried about his welfare. It’s this lack of fully realized characters that diminishes the film’s emotional landscape to maintain a strong hold on the audience.

Henry Golding Is ‘Daniela Forever’s Saving Grace

While Daniela Forever’s lack of full-bodied characters is among the film’s biggest qualms, Golding’s portrayal of Nicolas is the film’s saving grace. As the Vigalondo feature goes down more twisty routes that land Nicolas in grief hell, Golding offers a charming performance with grit and nuance. Even when the film sputters and doesn’t give its actors the best to work with, Golding accommodates the performance with a frank gravitas. There is a rawness and honesty in his portrayal of Nicolas that speaks to the character’s unsettling mix of vulnerability and control that defines his mental state. Golding is subtle, yet complex, showcasing a range of emotions across the film. One minute he is tender and heartfelt, while another he falls into a disturbing fixation that leaves him feeling like he’s on the edge.

In so many ways, Golding manages to bring a sharp authenticity to the role. He is compelling to watch and proof that audiences don’t give him enough credit to expand outside the usual charms we see of him in movies like Crazy Rich Asians or The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. While Vigalondo doesn’t fully explore Nicolas’ complexities and the grief that overwhelms his world, Golding is striking as he captures his character’s emotional deterioration. The anguish and obsession Nicolas feels is palpable, especially in scenes where he grows frustrated with Daniela’s assertion of independence or when he’s beginning to break down and cry. It’s these moments that transcend the film’s shortcomings, as Golding is bold and absorbing with a nuanced depiction of grief that gives off an affecting experience for the viewers.

Though it falls short of fully capitalizing on its ambitious, enthralling premise, Daniela Forever is an emotional portrait of grief and obsession. Vigalondo’s use of lucid dreaming to examine the intersection of memory and love is downright inventive. But the execution leaves it feeling less than poignant. Between the underdeveloped narrative and its one-dimensional characters, the movie is pretty stagnant and leaves a lot to be desired. With these aspects detracting from the film’s overall impact, Daniela Forever had the potential to be fleshed out through some more writing that untangles its complexities. But despite its flaws, the film still stands out for its bold visual approach and Golding’s performance to offer a thoughtful yet imperfect reflection on what it’s like to really move on from loss.

Daniela Forever had its world premiere at the 49th annual, Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024.