'The Vast of Night' is a film that follows a couple of youngsters, Fay and Everett, during the course of a single night, as they pick up and try to find the source of a mysterious signal.
The film, set in the 1950's, is an intense investigation of the paranormal, of following the unknown and is filled with tension and suspense. The opening sequence follows Everett as he consults with numerous people over the radio broadcast of a basketball game due to be played that night. The seemingly uninterrupted shot follows Everett as he comes across multiple people, creating a sense of urgency and forcing the viewer to become invested in the minutiae of the small town folks and the hiccups they come across in setting up the nights event.
Everett eventually comes across Fay, a young switch-board operator, who has just purchased a new tape recorder. The two walk together, as Everett shows Fay how to work the recorder, and discuss various predictions for the future, regarding scientific and technological discovery, allowing us to partake in the at times anecdotal musings that Fay discusses. The two have an unforced and amicable chemistry, not delving into any romantic undertones, which allows the story to naturally progress and focus on the odd happenings rather than getting bogged down by an often overused intimae sub-plot.
The films director, Andrew Patterson, has masterfully created a film that should be considered amongst the best in terms of suspense. The tension often results from long, uninterrupted shots that focus on a single subject and allow us to discover what the characters are discovering in seemingly real time. The excellent use of the continuous shots creates a tense atmosphere that at times seems to boarder on fear-inducing and horrific, successfully relaying that which is very difficult to do visually, namely to create a sense of trepidation and induce a cosmic sense of dread. The setting being a small US town in the 1950's, is laid before us and works in tandem with the story in creating the sense of anxiety as we are relayed the stories our protagonists are subject to. A sense of fear is effectively created at a certain point when the power goes out at the radio station. We know that there is nothing our characters can do about it, and are effectively left on their own, in the dark to deal with whatever is out there.
The feeling of dread is created by allowing the viewer to follow the story, as it is told to Fay and Everett via Billy, an ex-soldier as he calls into the radio station, and later Mabel, an elderly shut-in. As Fay and Everett follow Billy's story, the screen cuts to black at times, creating a feeling that we're listening to the radio, or a podcast, and are left to visualise Billy's memories on our own. Later on, Mabel relays the story of her son, the encounter she has had, and him disappearing. Again, the uninterrupted recount of her experiences allow us to see it with our own eyes, creating a more real experience than any visual representation ever could. Both Billy and Mable's stories feel almost like real life retellings of strange encounters, as they are somewhat bleak and leave us with a lot of unanswered questions. This adds another layer to the film seemingly placing us in that world right next to Fay and Everett.
The protagonists, Fay, played by Sierra McCormick, and Everett, played by Jake Horowitz, excellently portray quick-witted and enthusiastic teens, curious and ready to explore the unknown. McCormick does a great job in representing a teen not quite sure of what she wants to pursue, yet showing great interest towards technology and curiosity about the future. She is mild mannered but is ready at a moments notice when the situation requests it. Horowitz portrays a quick witted and sharp character, perhaps a little brash at times, yet clear in his goals and motivations. Together the pair form a likeable duo of investigators that allow us to explore the world that they are living in through relatable eyes.
The supporting characters in the film are essential in creating the dark atmosphere that carries through the entire story. Billy, as voiced by Bruce Davis, manages to instil a feeling of mystery, as he relays his story of his army days without ever creating a sense that we should question his story. Mabel, as portrayed by Gail Cronauer, represents a darker, more negative opinion towards the unknown, portraying a very real feeling that many of us may feel towards the unknown, namely distrust combined with fear and suspicion, resulting in a lifetime of bitterness, as the foreign entities have taken something from her.
The elements of Billy and Mabel's stories are a true credit to the writers of this screenplay, Craig W. Sanger and James Montague, as they have managed to write believable and unforced dialogue and intriguing monologues that ease the viewer into suspending their disbelief completely and following the story as if it were a real-time documentation of the tens misadventures. Overall the film is a great exploration and reimagining of alleged true events and it allows the viewer to fully commit to the ideas that the story is putting forward. With a small budget, 'The Vast of Night' successfully employs dark settings and allows us to use our own imagination when we are faced with radical ideas and have to picture that which we may fear. The film is a testament to creativity peaking due to financial restrictions, yet never lets you feel that they may have been a dollar short in production.
Score: 4/4
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