Dark Night, 2016.
Directed by Tim Sutton.
Starring Robert Jumper, Anna Rose Hopkins, Aaron Purvis, Eddie Cacciola and Conor A. Murphy.
SYNOPSIS:
The lives of six strangers intersect at a suburban Cineplex where a massacre occurs.
Based upon the 2012 massacre in Aurora, Colorado where lone gunman James Eagan Holmes opened fire on a midnight screening of The Dark Knight, this Sundance Film Festival piece sets out to provide a thought provoking exploration centred around mental health and gun violence.
Seemingly taking inspiration from 2003’s Elephant, in its approach to chronicling both the victims and perpetrator of the the massacre, Dark Night falls short of becoming something truly moving and fails to add to the conversation surrounding gun laws in America. The film follows multiple people as they go about their lives, documenting the dull reality of the every day: an actor seeking auditions, a young girl trying to perform better on social media, a girl working in a shop and a mother and father playing with their son, to name a few. There is very little in the way of dialogue for most of this, giving the film a somewhat directionless quality, which although could work with perhaps compelling or rich characters, fails to gain attention for the majority of the duration. The cuts between characters are jarring and confusing, with many becoming nameless and faceless; perhaps intentional in order to comment upon the victims of these shootings, often presented by the media as numbers rather than people.
Three characters stand out amongst the rest though, director Tim Sutton presenting us with a mystery as to whom the shooter will be. Each is giving a trait we may associate to Holmes: one given joker-like orange hair, another struggling with mental issues, the third dropping out of school and struggling with social interactions. We as an audience are given a choice in who we assume to ultimately be the despicable killer. This is perhaps the part of the film that becomes of greatest interest. We can never truly know how someone is thinking or feeling, but perhaps we need to be more attentive to one another, for the wellbeing of those with mental health. Dark Night forces us to be attentive to these individuals; if more people did that in life then perhaps we can prevent events like the one depicted in this film, from happening.
The films presentation is lacking in consistency, with an interview-style employed for only one character and time shifts making it confusing to follow whether the shooting had in fact already happened. At one point this character exits the house to find mobs of press and victims screaming abuse; this is out of place considering he eventually is revealed not to be the murderer. The presentation becomes more confusing still when a poster for the film Dark Night is shown and it’s logo is drawn upon a post, giving it a meta quality that seems out of place. Choosing one element and sticking to it may have been more successful than switching between a number of different ideas; having said this the use of google maps was an innovative idea and worked within the context of the film.
Overall, Dark Night presents some interesting ideas, but the meandering pace and incohesive editing pulls it back from becoming a major contributor to mental health and gun violence conversations. The movie never comments on the availability of guns in America, but does leave room for some exploration into mental health, through veterans talking about returning from war and the ideas presented that I have mentioned above. With a moving soundtrack and unique visuals, it is a shame that the film never quite knew what it wanted to be. Despite the beauty of the cinematography and potential for a greater message, Dark Night requires more patience than it is perhaps worth.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★
George Chrysostomou
Originally published August 16, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
