Nicolas, a British DJ, is stuck in a crippling sadness after losing Daniela, the love of his life. He is in the middle of Madrid, a city full of life and music. Henry Golding gives a character completely consumed by losing a lot of depth. The character goes from being a lively artist to a shell of his former self. Nicolas turns into a ghost in his fancy apartment after Daniela dies suddenly. He can’t work, talk to his friends, or interact with the world around him.
Come into a groundbreaking clinical trial that offers an amazing escape: a drug that lets you dream clearly. His friend Victoria knows that Nicolas’s emotional paralysis is dangerous and sees this as a possible lifeline—a way to help him piece together memories and slowly let go of his overwhelming sadness. The original goal of the trial was to help Nicolas rebuild his life before Daniela, which might help him break free from his suffocating mental dependence.
Nicholas has other ideas, though. Instead of doing what the doctor tells him to do, he uses the power of the drug to bring Daniela back to life in his thoughts, making a controlled, perfect version of their relationship. In this dream world, he controls every moment and feels as if he were the creator and director. What starts as a happy reunion turns into a darker psychological landscape as it goes on. It’s a trip into the complicated worlds of grief, control, and the human inability to let go.
The idea turns into a deep look at love, loss, and how dangerous it can be to make up new realities through pure imagination.
Dream weaving: Vigalondo’s Cinematic Alchemy
Nacho Vigalondo approaches “Daniela Forever” similarly to his earlier work, “Colossal.” He turns ordinary emotional settings into amazing movie experiences. His writing is more than just a story; it’s a bold, science-fiction-tinged look at how grief, memory, and human connection work.
The movie’s story structure is a bright kaleidoscope of different visual and emotional effects. Vigalondo cleverly tells the difference between reality and a dreamscape by making big changes to how the movie is shot. The real world is shown in a 4:3 format that looks like old Betamax records, representing Nicolas’s emotional stagnation. On the other hand, the dream scenes are filled with bright, broad colors, representing the alluring power of made-up memories.
This story doesn’t go in a straight line; it’s more like a psychological maze where the lines are always blurred. Vigalondo challenges watchers by not following normal ways of telling stories. Unexpected changes happen in dream sequences, and dream-Daniela slowly gains control over her life, which makes Nicolas’s attempts to be in complete charge difficult. The script moves back and forth between deep character studies and philosophical explorations, asking what the right thing to do is when technology is used to rebuild lost love.
But the movie’s big idea sometimes has trouble being implemented. Some changes happen too quickly, and the reveals in the third act may leave people more confused than satisfied. Still, this story’s lack of clarity seems planned; it reflects how chaotic sadness is by nature.
Vigalondo wrote a script that is simultaneously a love story, a psychological thriller, and a reflection on how vulnerable people are. It doesn’t offer easy emotional answers; instead, it examines how we deal with loss and make sense of things in a way that is often difficult.
Dreamscapes and Reality: Cinematic Metamorphosis
“Daniela Forever” by Nacho Vigalondo uses cinematography as a deep emotional language to turn a visual story into a psychological setting. The most striking thing about the movie’s plot is how drastically reality and dreams change. This carefully thought-out visual metaphor says a lot about grief, memory, and mental escape.
In the real world, the 4:3 letterbox format is stifling and meant to look like old Betamax tapes. This choice of visuals isn’t just a matter of taste; it’s a crushing reflection of Nicolas’s inability to feel anything. The colors are muted, the edges are fuzzy, and the frame feels tight, which is a perfect reflection of how he feels after a stressful event. Every frame screams of being stuck, of a life that has been stopped indefinitely.
In contrast, the dream scenes are shot in huge, widescreen formats that explode with bright colors, lively music, and emotional possibilities. Here, Madrid goes from a dark background to a colorful place where memories and desires can come together. Concerts are full of life, spooky houses are full of thrills, and every memory is a blank canvas of possibilities.
These changes in how things look do more than entertain; they tell the story of Nicolas’s inner journey. He doesn’t just use his dreams to escape; they’re also a psychic playground where he can rebuild, change, and finally take control of his deepest loss. Colors become emotional text, and camera views become statements about the mind.
Vigalondo uses pictures to ask a deep question: How far will we go to change our memories when reality gets too hard to handle? The cinematography is like the battle itself, not just something that shows it.
Echoes of Emotion: Performances that Transcend Reality
Henry Golding gave an amazing performance that changed his past romantic lead roles. He’s a lot of different things at once. Nicolas he’s a charming DJ, but his sadness changes him into something much more complicated and awkward. By taking away any hint of ego, Golding shows the raw, ugly sides of a man desperately trying to bring back a lost love. His eyes show what’s going on in the mind of someone who has lost someone close to them and can’t speak.
The brilliant thing about Golding’s writing is how honest it is. He doesn’t ask for pity; instead, he shows how deeply troubled Nicolas is. This man turns sadness into a weapon by using a miracle drug to change memories and control the woman he says he loves. As the dreams go on, they reveal more and more about his complicated mind, showing a person who is both fascinating and very scary.
Beatrice Grannò’s performance is just as impressive; she walks a very fine line between realism and modeling. As Daniela in Nicolas’s dream, she is both a projection and a new awareness that subtlety challenges Nicolas’s control. Her expressive eyes show a whole world of unspoken defiance. In a very difficult task, Grannò makes a figure who feels both fake and heartbreakingly real simultaneously.
The supporting figures are very important to the story. Nathalie Poza’s Victoria is a compassionate intervention, and Aura Garrido’s Teresa adds a surprising level of depth by questioning Nicolas’s made-up story. They’re not just plot devices but important voices that look at the many sides of loss.
What comes out is a deep character study about how dangerous it is to not deal with loss, where love can look like possession and memory can be used to control your emotions.
Memory’s Labyrinth: Grief, Control, and Illusion
“Daniela Forever” is a deep look at one of the most dangerous parts of grief: how people try to make sense of loss through dreams, control, and self-delusion. The movie doesn’t just tell a story; it also breaks down the mental processes we use when in terrible pain.
Nicolas’s journey shows a very strong way of fighting against emotions. He tries to bring Daniela back to life by using lucid thinking to create a new version of Daniela that fits his needs. This is not love; it’s an invasion of the mind. He carefully erases her freedom, individual dreams, and agency by turning her loss into a way to control her.
The movie does a great job of showing how Nicolas’s grief is affected by toxic manhood. He doesn’t feel sorry for Daniela; he’s just sad about losing something important to him. Through each dream, he changes her memories, job goals, and emotional responses in an increasingly disturbing way. It breaks down scarily how men usually see relationships as situations to be managed instead of real ties to be valued.
Under the story’s surface, deeper moral questions beat. What happens when technology lets us put memories back together again? When does memory turn into a form of mental abuse? The drug that helps with lucid dreams is like a scalpel; Nicolas can use it to cut out parts of Daniela that don’t fit his perfect story.
Ultimately, “Daniela Forever” is a strong warning about what can happen when you refuse to accept loss. His dreams aren’t helping him get better; instead, they’re a clever way for him and the memory of the woman he says he loves to be emotionally locked up.
The movie makes the point that to truly heal, you have to accept that things are complicated and painful and that love means accepting someone as they are, messiness and all.
Sonic Landscapes and Visual Alchemy
“Daniela Forever” is a technical masterpiece, with sound design and cutting taking on a life of their own. The movie’s cuts between real life and dreams aren’t just visual tricks; they’re psychological paths that make people think about what they see.
Editing turns into a complicated dance that throws you off. Every cut between the dull, grainy real world and the bright dream scenes feels like a giant leap—not just a change of scene, but a big change in how you feel. The technical team makes these changes with surgical precision, which makes the line between memory and imagination look so smooth it’s scary.
With the help of special effects, Madrid is transformed into an emotional dreamscape. Every remembered moment becomes a blank canvas of possibilities. Concerts pulse with colors that don’t make sense, and haunted houses shimmer with details that make you think you’re seeing things. These aren’t just extras for the eyes; they’re also signs of Nicolas’s broken mental health.
The music sounds like a whole different person. In real life, music sounds far away and muffled, mirroring how Nicolas feels. But in dream scenes, sound comes to life and becomes a sensory representation of the most vivid memories. Synthesizers swell, percussion beats punctuate emotional revelations, and each note sounds full of loss and promise.
Sound design doesn’t just add to the story; it becomes the story’s subconscious, whispering its darkest truths between each carefully crafted scene.
Dreaming Beyond Boundaries
The book Daniela Forever is a brave and honest look at the most dangerous parts of loss. Nacho Vigalondo’s movie doesn’t offer easy emotional resolutions. Instead, it’s a complicated psychological journey that makes you think about love, memory, and control in new ways.
Henry Golding and Beatrice Grannò make the movie more than just a standard romantic drama; they make it a haunting look at the dangerous edges of human emotion. From its stunning visual transitions to its immersive sound design, the movie’s technical brilliance turns what could have been a normal story into something truly special.
The movie is a great example of how to tell a story through film, even though it can sometimes be difficult and cause disagreements. If you like deeply introspective movies that don’t shy away from uncomfortable psychological settings, you must see this one. “Daniela Forever” is more than just a movie; it’s an experience that will stay with people long after the movie ends, making them think about how they deal with memory, loss, and love in their lives.
Recommended for film fans who like to take risks and respect psychological depth and new ways of telling stories.
The Review
Daniela Forever
"Daniela Forever" is a brave and mentally complex look at grief that goes beyond the usual romantic drama. Nacho Vigalondo writes a captivating story that goes deep into the human mind. It challenges viewers by looking at emotional trickery, memory loss, and loss without holding back. Henry Golding gives one of the best performances of his career, turning a character who could be likable into a complex study of toxic sadness. The film's technical brilliance, from its unique visual style to its engaging sound design, takes the story to a higher level than most stories. The movie is sometimes difficult to watch and could cause disagreements, but it is also a deep reflection on how we deal with and sometimes distort personal tragedy.
PROS
- Exceptional lead performances by Henry Golding and Beatrice Grannò
- Innovative visual storytelling with unique cinematographic techniques
- Profound exploration of grief and emotional manipulation
- Compelling narrative that challenges traditional romantic drama conventions
- Brilliant sound design and musical integration
CONS
- Complex narrative might be challenging for mainstream audiences
- Potentially uncomfortable exploration of toxic emotional patterns
- Abrupt narrative transitions in the third act
- Some viewers might find the dream sequences disorienting
