‘Finding Nicole’ Review: Harley Wallen’s Domestic Violence Drama Has Conviction but Lacks Craft

 

‘Finding Nicole’ Review: Harley Wallen’s Domestic Violence Drama Has Conviction but Lacks Craft

Based on Nicole Beverly’s true story, the award-winning independent film confronts domestic violence and the struggle to escape it, but weak performances, confusing chronology, and neglected production details undermine its impact.

“Finding Nicole,” director Harley Wallen’s drama based on the true story of Nicole Beverly, follows a seemingly perfect romance as it deteriorates into manipulation, escalating domestic violence, and a fight for survival. Yet leaving an abusive marriage does not end Nicole’s ordeal. Protecting her children, navigating a complicated justice system, and reclaiming control of her life become battles of their own. Wallen’s commitment to bringing that experience to the screen deserves appreciation, even as the film’s performances, storytelling, and visual choices fall short of the material.

According to the filmmakers’ notes, Beverly’s case was the subject of an entire episode of “Inside Evil with Chris Cuomo,” and the screenplay draws on police records, her journals, and her book. There is value in bringing a life outside the usual celebrity spotlight to the screen. Our stories matter, and independent filmmakers willing to tell them provide a necessary space for experiences that might otherwise go unheard.

“Finding Nicole” has earned considerable recognition on the independent festival circuit, with IMDb listing 34 wins and 28 nominations. Among its 2024 honors are Best Feature Film and Best Supporting Actress for Debra Lamb at the Sunny Side Up Film Festival, Best Actress for Kaiti Wallen at the Around International Film Festival’s Barcelona competition, and Best Narrative Feature and Best Director at the Frida Film Festival. Additional Best Feature Film awards came from the London Movie Awards, Paris Film Awards, and Hollywood Gold Awards.

That recognition makes the film’s shortcomings all the more frustrating.

Kaiti Wallen portrays Nicole Beverly opposite Mari G. as Warren Beverly. The central problem is not a weakness in Nicole’s story but in its portrayal. Wallen’s performance never establishes the emotional connection the film needs between its protagonist and the audience, leaving even the gravity of Nicole’s circumstances struggling to sustain the drama.

A stronger male lead might have compensated for some of that distance, giving their scenes the tension and emotional weight missing from her performance. Mari G., however, provides no such counterbalance. Instead, the two leads expose the screenplay’s thinness, delivering dialogue so pedestrian and crowded with clichés that it can make you flinch.

In the screenplay’s defense, people do speak in clichés. Everyday conversation rarely has the precision or originality of carefully written dialogue, so there is a reasonable argument for realism here. But language that sounds natural in life can fall flat on screen, particularly when the actors fail to convey anything beneath the words. In “Finding Nicole,” the dialogue too often sounds like a collection of familiar phrases rather than the speech of distinct, fully realized characters.

Independent filmmaking, with its budget constraints, can offer opportunities to performers still developing their craft. Giving actors room to earn and learn has value, but here the limitations of the central performances undermine a story that demands emotional credibility.

The screenplay compounds those problems with an abrupt jump of roughly seven years, offering little indication that so much time has passed. Nicole’s courtroom testimony eventually establishes that Miles is six and the younger child is a toddler as the story moves into “Fall 2015.” Rather than introducing the children and allowing us to understand the family’s changing circumstances, the filmmakers deliver essential information through dialogue. We learn their ages without having much opportunity to understand their place in the family.

The casting creates another distraction. I found the family resemblance unconvincing enough that, rather than immediately accepting Miles as the couple’s son, I wondered whether he might be a nephew. That question might never have occurred to me had the screenplay established the relationships more clearly.

By the sequence marked “Fall 2017,” the problem is not so much missing information as the film’s failure to communicate it clearly. Nicole shares a bonding moment with her son, yet the sight of two children in the bed leaves me wondering when the second child entered the story. The earlier testimony provides an explanation, but Wallen has not established a convincing sense of the family’s life over the intervening years. Rather than drawing us into the intimacy of the scene, the film leaves us reconstructing its chronology.

The courtroom sequences are similarly difficult to follow. Real events can provide extraordinary dramatic material, but the responsibility for shaping those events into a coherent story remains with the filmmakers. Here, the editing and screenplay repeatedly leave the audience doing work the film should have done.

The production design offers little evidence of a considered visual approach. At times, it feels as though no meaningful design strategy was in place, an impression reinforced by costumes that appear equally neglected.

The female lawyer’s wardrobe is particularly distracting, beginning with an oversized blazer worn over a striped shirt, neither of which fits properly. In another appearance, Nicole’s lawyer turns up in a wrinkled red blazer. Wrinkled. The problem is neither the color nor the style but the apparent lack of care: a conspicuously creased jacket suggests that even basic costume preparation received insufficient attention. Another courtroom appearance finds her wearing a summer shirt with a revealing neckline that draws attention to her cleavage. The lawyer. Taken together, these choices suggest that little consideration went into establishing the character’s professional presence through costume.

These are not merely cosmetic complaints: costumes, sets, lighting and composition help establish the credibility of a film’s world. When those elements are handled carelessly, they draw attention to the production rather than immerse viewers in the story. The cinematography by Nolan Elias and Steve Maclaren is flat, and Wallen’s camera angles show little visual imagination. In the bonding scene between Nicole and her son, the uninspired lighting gives the moment neither the warmth nor the emotional texture it needs. The overall approach resembles conventional television production rather than a fully developed cinematic treatment. With streaming now an established destination for independent features, that aesthetic is not inherently a liability, but here it does little to deepen the characters, establish atmosphere, or heighten the psychological tension.

At 89 minutes, “Finding Nicole” feels much longer, with a weak story structure, poor editing, and a lack of visual invention weighing down a narrative that should generate its own urgency. Still, its roughness has a nostalgic charm, something familiar from the modestly produced independent dramas found on Tubi, BET, and other viewing platforms. The effort required to hold the production together is visible, and that determination has its appeal, even when the seams remain plainly exposed.

My frustration with the filmmaking does not diminish my appreciation for the passion behind it. According to the World Health Organization, nearly one in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual intimate-partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both during her lifetime. Domestic violence is a serious issue that should never be met with silence. Scream about it from the proverbial rafters.

Harley Wallen’s determination to bring Nicole Beverly’s survival story to the screen deserves deep appreciation. “Finding Nicole” is neither polished nor particularly interesting to look at, and shortcomings in its acting, writing, and visual execution repeatedly weaken its impact. Yet Nicole’s struggle to survive, protect her children, and regain control of her life remains a story worth telling. I appreciate the filmmakers’ commitment to getting this movie made, even as I wish the result were stronger. The conviction is there; what is missing is the craftsmanship to give the story the power it deserves. 

I look forward to seeing what Wallen does next.

Film Credits

“Finding Nicole” (Crime, drama, true crime; 89 minutes). Directed by Harley Wallen. Produced by Nicole Beverly, Joe Williamson and Mari G. Cast includes Kaiti Wallen, Mari G., Sean Whalen, Blanca Blanco, Richard Tyson, Debra Lamb, Shawntay Dalon and Vida Ghaffari. Cinematography by Nolan Elias and Steve Maclaren.

“Finding Nicole”: paintedcreekproductions.com.

Freestyle Digital Media, the digital distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, released “Finding Nicole” for North American digital rental and purchase and on DVD.