Night Comes On is a 2018 American drama film directed by Jordana Spiro, who wrote the screenplay with Angelica Nwandu. The film was developed by Nwandu and Spiro at the Sundance Institute's Screenwriter Lab in 2014.[1] It is inspired by Nwandu's experiences in foster care. The film premiered on January 19, 2018 at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was given a limited theatrical and VOD release by Samuel Goldwyn Films on August 3, 2018.[2]
| Night Comes On | |
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 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Jordana Spiro |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | Dominique Fishback John Jelks Max Casella James McDaniel Tatum Marilyn Hall |
| Cinematography | Hatuey Viveros Lavielle |
| Edited by | Taylor Levy |
| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Samuel Goldwyn Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editAngel Lemere is released from juvenile detention on her 18th birthday. As a child, she witnessed the murder of her mother by her father; her intervening years have been spent bouncing around various foster care homes. Now back on the streets, Angel resolves to locate her father and exact revenge on him. Her first imperative is to find her 10 year-old-sister Abby, whom she has not seen in two years, and retrieve their fathers' address. When Angel finds Abby living in a group home, she is dismayed to learn that Abby is living in the same underserved conditions as her and is at risk of following down the same path. Angel's quest for vengeance becomes complicated by her bond with Abby, as the possibility of legal guardianship of her sister hinges on Angel staying out of trouble.
Cast
edit- Dominique Fishback as Angel Lemere
- Tatum Marilyn Hall as Abby Lemere[3]
- Nastashia Fuller as Angel's mother
- Angel Bismark Curiel as young store attendant
- John Jelks as John Earl Lemere
- Max Casella as Marcus
- James McDaniel as Danny
- Cymbal Byrd as Maya
Production
editThe idea for the film came about when Jordana Spiro was looking to make a feature about the experiences of foster care kids and what it's like to age out of the system. She had been a volunteer at Peace4Kids, an LA-based foster youth organization, and wanted to write the script with someone who had a personal background in the subject.[4] Through Peace4Kids, she was introduced to writer Angelica Nwandu. Nwandu had herself lost her mother to domestic violence at the hands of her father when she was 6 years old.[5] Nwandu and Spiro worked on the screenplay together over the phone and in person at the 2014 Sundance Institute's Screenwriters Lab.[6]
The film was the recipient of a fellowship from the Adrienne Shelly Foundation, a nonprofit organization that awards grants to female actors, writers, and/or directors of short films, feature films, and documentaries.[7]
Filming was completed in 28 days, with exterior shots done in Philadelphia and New Jersey.[6]
Release
editNight Comes On premiered on January 19, 2018, at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in the Best of Next! section.[8] At the festival, it won the NEXT Innovator Award.[9] It also screened at the Giffoni Film Festival.[10]
In May 2018, Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[11] It was given both a limited theatrical and VOD release on August 3, 2018.[2]
Reception
editRotten Tomatoes reports a 98% approval rating based on 56 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The critical consensus reads, "Steadily drawing viewers into its harrowing tale with equal parts grim intensity and startling compassion, Night Comes On heralds the arrivals of debuting director Jordan [sic] Spiro and her magnetic young stars."[12] The review aggregator Metacritic surveyed 15 critics and assessed 14 reviews as positive and 1 as mixed. It gave a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, which it said indicated "generally favorable reviews".[13]
Anne Cohen of Refinery29 wrote the film is a "riveting movie that highlights the power of sisterhood, both on and off screen".[5] Fishback and Hall received acclaim for their performances.[14][15][16] In Pajiba, Roxana Hadid wrote how the film "lets moments of silence between Angel and Abby build in the present, presenting two worlds for us to consider: what the girls once had, and what the girls now must do. Would Angel killing their father fix everything? Or nothing?"[17] She continued, Night Comes On "focuses on the challenge of trying to make sense of a situation that makes no sense at all, and its suggestion of revenge is one method, and its suggestion of love is another."[17]
Writing for RogerEbert.com, Matt Zoller Seitz praised the film for avoiding exploitative situations. Though he said the film could have benefited from going "on several beats longer", he felt it "is still an unusual and interesting feature that tries to convey the inner state of a non-communicative young woman mainly through reaction shots of her face. That alone is enough to power it beyond any moment to moment difficulties it might have." [16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Thompson, Anne (December 17, 2013). "Sundance Picks 12 Projects for 2014 January Screenwriters Lab". IndieWire. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ a b "Night Comes On". The Numbers. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ Rooney, David (January 23, 2018). "'Night Comes On': Film Review Sundance 2018". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Anderson, Tre'vell (August 6, 2018). "Q&A: How Jordana Spiro and Angelica Nwandu achieved 'Night Comes On's' authenticity". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Cohen, Anne (January 19, 2018). "Night Comes On Is The Female Revenge Movie We Need Right Now". Refinery29. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ a b McCormack, Colin (July 30, 2018). "Filmmaker Interview: JORDANA SPIRO, director of NIGHT COMES ON". sagindie.org. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "Top 100 Most Anticipated American Indie Films of 2018: #48. Jordana Spiro's Night Comes On". 3smreviews.com. January 17, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "Night Comes On". Sundance.org. Sundance Institute. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- ^ Erbland, Kate (June 14, 2018). "'Night Comes On' Trailer: Jordana Spiro and Angelica Nwandu's Sundance Winner Announces Arrival of Big New Talents". IndieWire. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "Night Comes On". Giffoni Film Festival. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "Samuel Goldwyn Acquires Sundance Drama 'Night Comes On'". Deadline Hollywood. May 1, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "Night Comes On". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ "Night Comes On Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- ^ Bugbee, Teo (August 2, 2018). "Review: 'Night Comes On' Thoughtfully Contemplates a Teenager's Revenge". The New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ Lodge, Guy (February 4, 2018). "Film Review: 'Night Comes On'". Variety. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Seitz, Matt Zoller (August 3, 2018). "Night Comes On". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Hadadi, Roxana (August 7, 2018). "Review: Female-Directed 'Night Comes On' is One of the Year's Best, a Story of Revenge, Resilience, and Sisterhood". Pajiba. Retrieved October 20, 2023.