Anna and Beth are friends, actresses, and seemingly interchangeable. And those last two details stand to completely undo the first. Always Shine is a dramatic thriller about two women on a weekend away and their struggles in the film industry and with each other. It’s a troublingly real premise, the jealousy that can cleave close friends. For the most part, it works here. The movie plays a little slow at times, a very slice-of-life film that doesn’t shy from moments that feel as if nothing is happening. There is a chance that this is a movie that plays better with Hollywood crowds who can relate better, but for those outside the industry it may not land very well. It was an attempt to refresh a familiar premise, and while it didn’t do that fully, it did show that there’s a good film somewhere in it.
