‘THE VAST OF NIGHT’ Review

Last year, I started hearing the buzz about this indie darling that was ripping through Slamdance & The Overlook Film Festival which ended up playing at TIFF and Fantastic Fest last year. It kept being described as a McCarthy-era “Welcome to Night Vale” episode. While you may get that vibe – minus all the strange things that happen in the town of Night Vale (especially that Faceless Old Woman) – The Vast of Night is more akin to a “Twilight Zone” episode fueled by innocent discovery and investigation into what may be an extraterrestrial encounter.

After an introduction that definitely leans into the “Twilight Zone” influence, we open on a television playing an episode of the fictional “Paradox Theater” complete with a Rod Serling-esque voice-over taking us to the small desert town of Cayuga, New Mexico in the 1950s via an episode called “The Vast of Night”. After that on-the-nose tribute, we’re thrown into a one-shot following a young charismatic radio host, Everett (played by Jake Horowitz), who delivers small town talk in rapid delivery while a lit cigarette bounces between his lips as he navigates through the high school gymnasium getting ready for a basketball game that will be the main attraction of the town for the evening. Fay Crocker (Sierra McCormick), sees Everett and begins to quiz him on how to work her newly purchased tape recorder. After some banter with locals and charming introductions, we’re whipped over to Fay reporting for her shift as the town’s telephone operator in a scene that not only shows you how far we have gone with phone technology (conveniently shown after some “future tech” conversation) but may make you romanticize in the physical labor by plugging in cables into ports to connect callers with one another. For this reviewer, I absolutely marveled at this scene – not only because of the content but how it is all technically presented. After hearing an odd noise signal cut into Everett’s show and hearing that same noise on a phone call, Fay jumps into action and pulls Everett into her fascination with the noise as he casts a wide net across his listeners to see if they have any more information on the noise. Is it electronic noise or something more alien (after all, this is New Mexico)?

While the character Fay is just doing her part by being the town’s switchboard operator once the investigation kicks in, you feel that Fay is destined to become a reporter. While she may be too shy with social interaction, her drive is infectious and she is willing to run across town (literally) to try and get to the bottom of it. Her almost hyperactive, overenthusiastic personality doesn’t clash with Everett’s calm, cool persona. It compliments it and is the gasoline to the lead sled that Everett is trying to get past the finish line.

The Vast of Night is one of the most fascinating debuts I’ve seen in some time. While it could be played off like a radio play (Pontypool may be a great double feature for this one in a future watch), director Andrew Patterson pulls off some very bold moves for a debut. Many one-shots litter the film including a dazzling sequence that while is assisted with CGI feels like an amusement ride as we float through the town low to the ground. It’s not a show-off either, it is aesthetically pleasing and shows you how empty the town is because everyone is at the game. McCormick and Horowitz are absolutely wonderful in this film and the script by James Montague and Craig W. Sanger is definitely a strong debut. Complete with fast delivery and characters who feel fleshed out within the first 15 minutes, Patterson has a great foundation to build upon. If there is one critique from the technical end of this film is the cinematography. There are times where it looks fine but there are many scenes that seem too dark (I even consulted with someone who had the opportunity to see this film at one of the previously mentioned film festivals and they also agreed with this assessment). Considering this film will be seen by many via Amazon’s streaming service, this may be a detriment to the film for casual viewers.

Brilliantly acted, well-written and lovingly nostalgic, The Vast of Night may make you wish you lived in a town like Cayuga, New Mexico during this time – when things were simpler (and we weren’t in the middle of this whole pandemic).

Best yet, if you have an Amazon Prime subscription, you can watch it now!