Always Shine examines the competition instinct Hollywood instills in actresses and the threatening toll it takes on an already volatile friendship.
Sophia Takal's Always Shine is a tightly wound thriller that follows two best friends on a weekend getaway to Big Sur and unearths the true horror of Hollywood. Both women are aspiring actors; the competitive harshness between them escalates when one begins to garner more success than the other. Released in 2016, Takal's film delivers a timely look at the type of competition women face in the film industry.
While the weekend gets off to a pleasant start, the trip takes a harrowing turn when seemingly innocent career-envy escalates and the pressures of Hollywood erupt into unexpected violence. Beth (Caitlin FitzGerald) has slowly begun to gain mainstream attention through a series of beer commercials and slasher films, both of which require nudity. This is a detail which angers Anna (Mackenzie Davis), who is displeased with the stereotypical roles the industry offers women. Anna, due to her unwillingness to accept roles that comprise her beliefs, has not achieved as much as Beth; she openly resents her for this. During their first night in Big Sur, the girls visit a local bar where Anna's jealousy is further provoked by a man blatantly favoring Beth over her.
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