Directed by: Ben Hall Written by: Ben Hall, Darren Hummel Genre: Thriller |
Night Into Day
In an excellent way, we quickly learn that Katie ( Jessica Renee Russell ) and James ( Justin Gaston ) courted, wed, and moved in together - in grand old school fashion. Like a storybook movie, they got together, had parties, and were a perfect couple... all the way until they weren't. It's at this point Night Into Day really begins, with the signing of divorce papers looming after five years, and a big nuclear boom.
Nobody believed it would actually happen, but just like that, in a flash of light, the troubled couple are trapped in their old apartment - because they were on the outskirts of the main blast. With radiation seeping its way across the area, going out is really not an option; except maybe to find some radiation pills. It's when Artemis ( Christopher Mychael Watson ) enters the fray that we really get into the meat and potatoes of what has happened... and the damage. Artemis makes his grand introduction as a looter, but quickly becomes a decent part of the story. I'm not going to go into many more details, except to write that Night Into Day uses a nuclear blast as a way to explore relationships. Not just between Katie and James, but people in general. It's surely a thriller, but a nicely dramatic one. Night Into Day is a great story with a great presentation. For a micro budget title, the production feels much, much bigger than it probably was. Almost guaranteed. Everything from the camera work, scoring, editing, and even the acting itself feels big and bold; as well as dark and claustrophobic. Our three main characters manage to pull off a believable performance, and considering the majority of this title takes place in a small apartment, there's a lot of "world" crammed into a small space. Running at a little over an hour, the simple truth is that Night Into Day feels even faster. It's a real credit that such a good pacing was achieved, when again, the film mostly takes place in one small space. But how does it all end, and how does it all stack up? I won't give away the ending but as for the stacking up bit? Ben Hall and Darren Hummel have given us a great little film and the great performances make sure we won't quickly forget that. Four stars. |
