This Will Never Work (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

A dysfunctional family comes together to discuss Amanda’s (Amandla Jahava) struggle with alcoholism. However, the manipulation of their therapist Trevor (Peter Grosz) threatens to derail the family even further. This Will Never Work peers into the lives of so many people in the world around us while holding a mirror up to viewers. 

The film’s opening scene is cryptic, mysterious, enveloping–all of these things and more. The opening credits are set to an increasingly intense score that reels in viewers, puts them in a stranglehold, and refuses to let them go. This Will Never Work ensures that viewers are connected to the film before they even know what’s happening. 

That score continues to grow, becoming equal parts powerful, immersive, and beckoning. This Will Never Work leans heavily on the score of Shruti Kumar, more than any film that I’ve seen in recent memory. The passion that emanates from the score strengthens the meaning behind the film, reminds viewers of the film’s purpose, and creates emotion that supplements what already made for a spectacular film. 

This Will Never Work is so wildly racist in the best ways. It plays on racial stereotypes (black, white, Indian, etc.), it points fingers at everyone, and it’s ultimately incredibly inclusive in a way that, simply put, works. “Inclusive,” in some ways, has become a bad word that triggers some people, and I’ll be honest, I’m one of the people that has become frustrated by the over and inorganic use of the word–but This Will Never Work isn’t inclusion for the sake of inclusion, but because it’s honest, accessible, grounded. This Will Never Work works in a series of ways regarding its use of diversity to drive it forward. 

One of my favorite scenes in the world-renowned The Sopranos is Christopher’s intervention. The honesty strewn throughout that scene made it dramatic, gutwrenching, and comical. All that is wrapped up in something slightly claustrophobic and tense, and This Will Never Work utilizes those same storytelling techniques in its intervention scenes (which is the majority of the film). Again, that immersiveness is captivating, forcing viewers to reel as this family struggles to come together in a time of hardship. I could feel for these individuals, I could understand their hardships, their wishes, their aspirations. This Will Never Work slowly tears you apart, while repeatedly inserting comedy in a way that creates a necessary levity that effectively juxtaposes the intensity that rarely relents. 

Writer-Directors Niccolo Aeed and Marina Tempelsman infuse This Will Never Work with honest emotion, emotion that refuses to relent, that is unapologetic, that is easily accessible, and that works in a way that can only heal those brave enough to watch. 

A powerful narrative, a commanding score, nearly perfect performances–This Will Never Work is a stunning film that meant so much to me, moved me in ways that I couldn’t have anticipated. With only a handful of opportunistic plot points and acting faux pas, This Will Never Work is one of the best films that I watched in 2025, a film that needs to be shared with the world, a film that has nearly everything necessary to make a change in the world. This Will Never Work is nothing short of brilliant. 

Written & Directed by Niccolo Aeed & Marina Tempelsman. 

Starring Marinda Anderson, Ron Canada, Jeremiah Dunbar, Peter Grosz, Amandla Jahava, Portia, Usama Siddiquee, et. 

9/10 = DROP EVERYTHING AND WATCH IT NOW