The Vast of Night

Starring: Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz, Gail Cronauer, Bruce Davis (voice), Cheyenne Barton, Mark Banik
Directed by: Andrew Patterson
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A switchboard operator (Sierra McCormick) and a radio DJ (Jake Horowitz) discover a strange signal that is interfering with their communications. They investigate and believe it may not have terrestrial origins.

Review:

Tim: I'm a huge fan of Andrew Patterson's The Vast of Night. It is a wonderful homage to 1950s science fiction. It's obviously a low budget film, but Patterson covers this in brilliant ways, so the movie feels like it has a bigger scope than it actually does. He uses some clever narrative devices and pulls together the cinematography, the music, and the visuals in a wonderful way to create a compelling, entertaining film. Patterson wrote, produced, edited, and directed this movie. It's an incredible first film and I cannot wait to see what Patterson does next. If his first film was this good, he undoubtedly has truly great films in his future.

The movie taps into the world of the 1950s so effectively. This time period was obviously decades before my time, but it's the period my dad grew up. From conversations and interactions with him, I've always enjoyed this time period. It's fascinating to think about how advances in technology had suggested to people a limitless future lay ahead of them. This, partnered with the focus on the nuclear American family, the idea that America is safe (don't worry about locking your doors) gave rise to a sense of stability (we all know it was a false sentiment and behind closed doors and out of the public eye, horrible things were happening to many people, especially if you were a minority). This sense of stability combined with the idea of a hopeful future made the 1950s a fascinating time. This movie captures that- we see the local community gathered for a big basketball game, we see kids walking around after dark without a care in the world. We see the glee at new technology and the awe-inspiring era it would usher in. The entire film is a wonderful throwback to that decade.

One of my favorite scenes in the entire film is a 9 minute, 41 second take of Fay running a switchboard. This doesn't sound that compelling, but it's a beautifully executed scene. It gives us an extended look at switchboard operators, which has to feel foreign to most younger people these days. It allows Sierra McCormick to act with no distractions. It's just her at work, doing her job. It slowly introduces us to a sense of mystery, dread, and awe and establishes a foundation for what the movie is going to be about. It's one of the best executed scenes I've seen in a long, long time. It was stunning and I loved every second of it. It was entertained, built a connection between the audience and Fay, grounded us in the technology and the time period of the day, and set the rest of the movie up. That is master-level directing and I give Patterson enormous amounts of credit for this sequence.

There's so many other terrific moments in the film. I loved the scenes where the screen went black and we were just sitting there, listening. It obviously helped with the film's budget, but it was authentic to the 1950s, the sense of sitting at home around a radio, listening to words and imagining the stories in your head. That saved some money in the film, but it also perfectly rooted the story in the time period. It was brilliant.

I already mentioned McCormick, but she deserves more acclaim. I wasn't familiar with her before this film, but she'll always have a soft spot in my heart. Her performance is just outstanding. From the switchboard scene, to the rapid banter with Everett, Fay is just an incredible character. McCormick makes her more interesting than you'd ever expect. She's wide-eyed, yet courageous. It's a performance that feels relatable, like Fay could have been someone you knew in your youth. Jake Horowitz is excellent, too. He was another unknown to me before this film, but I loved his performance. His charisma, his intellect, his curiosity- it all comes together in this compelling character who I wish was real. I would have liked to known someone like Everett. He's this whirlwind of activity and it's so entertaining to watch. The supporting cast is good, notably Bruce Davis' voice work. However, McCormick and Horowitz are who made this film special.

The story itself is wonderful. It's a mystery, there are truly frightening moments, but it's also a hopeful, awe-inspiring one. I loved how Patterson played in different sandboxes. There's moments that take you back to your youth when the world felt innocent and that life-altering adventures were just around every corner. There's moments of frightening science fiction, when part of you wants to see what's up in the sky and part of you wants to flee in terror. There's compelling mystery elements when your curiosity is ratcheted up to its peak. Sure, the movie is ultimately a bit too small for Patterson's vision, but this just suggests that with a bigger budget and a bit more experience, the guy will do incredible things.

The Vast of Night is a stunning debut film. I had a blast watching this movie and it wouldn't surprise me if I return to it again. It's an eminently watchable film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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