Trey Edward Shults brings his sophomore film, via A24, It Comes at Night that is a suspenseful look at paranoia and self preservation. The film utilizes beautiful cinematography, excellent lighting, interesting dream sequences, and isolation of characters to create a tone that is truly terrifying while being thought provoking. While the movie will likely leave audience members questioning much of what transpired, active movie-goers will appreciate the themes the film address and the multiple interpretations available.
It Comes at Night is a thought provoking thriller.
In a world apparently racked with a disease, Paul (Joel Edgerton), his wife Sarah (Carmen Ejogo), and son Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) have isolated themselves in their house in the middle of the woods. Their way of living is threatened when Will (Christopher Abbott), Kim (Riley Keough), and their young son Andrew (Griffin Robert Faulkner) arrive at their residence seeking refuge.
Joel Edgerton seems to get better with every film he does. His tyrannical patriarch is intimidating, but is delivered with a cool matter of factness born out of survival instincts. While he is the biggest name on the bill, the main character of the film is Travis. He is seventeen and has witnessed some horrors that no one, much less a teenager, should have to witness. He is clearly torn with what his father says and his own feelings of hope. Harrison does a terrific job in this role and manages to carry the weight put on him. All the performances are solid and everyone gets something to do.
This film really manages to bring the tension. Pretty much from the opening sequence to the end, minus the obligatory “look how great things can be” montage in the middle, the film is suspenseful and, at times, disturbing. The film makes you think about the lengths one would go to protect their family, how horrified one could get with no information available, and the psychological effects of those two things. It’s a film that will likely get better with more analysis and even a second viewing as there is a lot to consider.
Final thoughts….
It Comes at Night is another successful delivery by A24. The film works really well and, for a pleasant surprise, the trailer doesn’t give much away at all. People’s biggest complaints will likely be the amount of interpretation expected of the audience, but hopefully they’ll appreciate that for what it is. It Comes at Night gets the Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy rating.
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