This Will Never Work
A planned intervention for Amanda's drinking spirals into a darkly funny family inquiry where every confession opens another wound.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- darkly comic
- claustrophobic
- intimate
- indie movie night
- discussion group viewing
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The family and therapist remain gathered around an intervention while unresolved drama accumulates in the room.
The plot moves through flashbacks and disputed recollections as the audience pieces together family trauma.
The planned intervention turns into a whodunnit in which emotional letters and family testimony function as evidence.
The story foregrounds a Black family, a white therapist, interracial dynamics, and social-class tensions.
Films like This Will Never Work, and why
The Humans
claustrophobic family gathering, buried grievances, and emotionally volatile ensemble drama
August: Osage County
dysfunctional family secrets, addiction, sharp dialogue, and darkly comic confrontation
The Invitation
contained social gathering that gradually exposes hidden tensions and competing accounts of the truth
Movie Details
- Directors
- Niccolo Aeed, Marina Tempelsman
- Release Date
- 2025-05-30
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 10.0 / 10 (1)
Cast
- Ron Canada
- Sarah Stiles
- Peter Grosz
- Jerimiyah Dunbar
- Usama Siddiquee
- Marinda Anderson
- Portia
- Jeff Solomon
- Amandla Jahava
- Kayce Wilson
Common questions
- What is This Will Never Work about?
- A planned intervention for Amanda's drinking spirals into a darkly funny family inquiry where every confession opens another wound.
- What is This Will Never Work like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of This Will Never Work as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is This Will Never Work violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in This Will Never Work.
- Which films are like This Will Never Work?
- Films with a similar feel include The Humans, August: Osage County, and The Invitation.
- How long is This Will Never Work?
- This Will Never Work runs 92 minutes.
