Always Shine is a film which is predominantly about obsession, envy and jealousy. The story follows two friends, Anna and Beth, who go on a trip together to Big Sur where their mutual resentment for each other begins to boil over.
The resentment seems to stem from the fact that Anna and Beth are both actresses, one of which is vastly more successful than the other, but introverted, shy quiet, she's successful but not a particularly versatile actress. The other is unsuccessful but extraordinarily talented, extroverted and brash. Each girl viciously wants what the other has but they both maintain a superficial veneer of friendship with the other.
Right off the bat, Mackenzie Davis is the best thing about this movie,
she's a terrific actress and the delivery of her lines in one particular scene is a clear display of the intense emotion she's able to inject into a scene with complete ease. Caitlin Fitzgerald is also pretty good as the introverted and shy but extremely manipulative Beth.
Throughout the films runtime the audience is made to feel unsure who is the worse of the two women, Anna at first seems psychopathic, but its also hinted at that she may merely be a good person pushed to the edge by her narcissistic friend and the same goes for Beth.
Which of the two is the aggressor in their confrontations?
that's the question the film wants you to ask yourself
and it makes for a good movie, I don't think it went as far as it could have but for a introspective indie thriller its quite good.
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