It Comes At Night (2017) – Review
It Comes At Night
Directed by Trey Edward Shults
A24
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” – H.P. Lovecraft
“It Comes At Night” is a harrowing account of the desperate nature of humanity and how exacerbated it can become when resources are scarce, especially when the most valuable commodity is scant: knowledge.
While we are merely spectators as we gaze through the cinema lens, “It Comes at Night” has a voyeuristic spirit as though we are invited into a forbidden focus of the lives of a small band of survivors of an unknown, apocalyptic event. From the very onset, there is an intensely private presence the audience intrudes upon, even in the films very few lighthearted scenes, we are made to feel perverted, shameful and at the heart of it all, scared. There’s an unbearable weight that permeates; we were not meant to see this, yet we cannot look away.
Introductions are brief as we begin with the unfolding of an already fragile family, with Paul (Joel Edgerton), his wife Sarah (Carmen Ejogo), and the teenage son Travis (Kelvin Harris Jr.) who are in the midst of death constant but most immeidately pressing is the demise of Sarah’s grandfather, Bud (David Pendelton.) There is a palatable tenderness, even through improvised Haz-Mat suits and gas masks that cannot help but swell and fog with tears and loss. The world outside has changed quickly, a fact that is never explained, as the Earth welcomes the body of Bud before Promethean fire engulfs his worldly form, dispensed by Joel. Barely a breath is able to be caught, before a late night home security system also catches it its web Will (Christopher Abbot) another father desperately seeking supplies for his equally sized clan of Kim (Riley Keough) and young Andrew (Griffin Robert Faulkner.) The families eventually join forces in an uneasy union that faces an unnatural threat from the outside and unyielding suspicion from within that culminates into an utter abyss of madness – to say more would not simply spoil, it would hinder the fact that “It Comes At Night” must be experienced; a secondhand account cannot accurately embody the way it was meant to be witnessed.
While there are many contributing factors to its success, including but not limited to gorgeous cinematography by Drew Daniels, the music courtesy of Brian McOmber, an otherworldy setting carved out of the New York woods with gnarled trees of eldritch origin and a script that feels vulnerable, visceral and most of all real, that elusive lightning in the bottle is captured by the symbiotic nature of director Trey Edward Schults and the masterful cast. Joel Edgerton, who not only resembles a young Kurt Russell but has many of his finer acting qualities leads the charge as a desperate father who is equally terrified by the looming threat that has left the world devoid of power, stability and purpose and the internal abyss that engulfs him. A perfect compliment is Sarah, who desperately wants to stand by her man unconditionally but tragedy has wracked her body and brain and she is running on a mix of pure adrenaline and Mama Bear instincts but yearns for what once was, even if she is already having difficult remembering what that was. Both of their states spill into Travis, who has his own journey to undertake and his coming of age is an Oscar worthy performance. Will, Kim and even Andrew match this nervous energy but while the families have many similarities and struggle, they are at opposite ends of the spectrum in many others and that’s what makes them such a remarkable team. The way in which this coalesces towards the meaty midsection and crescendos in the one of the unnerving and unforgettable endings in years will leave you breathless.
“It Comes At Night” will not be an easy watch for the bulk of film goers. A24, who are quickly becoming the go to source for exciting and original cinema, do not distribute pictures with any sort of bourgeoisie clout of stuffed shirt snobbery but they release many movies that often make people uncomfortable. This is not an easy feat in this day and age but the spiritual forebears of “It Comes At Night” which is made of equal parts “The Road,” “Pet Semetary” and “Lord of the Flies” finds not only its own distinct voice but perhaps more importantly, has enlivened a well tread and dying genre. Post apocalyptic stories have basically been made to require zombies, zoombies and everything in between to make a world ending environment feel unsafe. Yet what “It Comes At Night” accomplishes is making it unbelievably unnerving. We are right there with the characters in this film, which often feels like a play due to its miniscule cast and limited sets but the power of their performances, the claustrophobic mood that creeps into every frame and footstep, the overwhelming unknowing of what “it” is, where it comes from, what it wants taps so sharply into our primordial coding that we begin to sweat, we start to scream, we need to know and the ultimate fear of knowing that we cannot escape who we are, what we are…
