In her directorial debut, Jordana Spiro fully embraces the poetic darkness of life, presenting us a compelling, heartbreaking narrative that passionately glows with the seething rage of unfulfilled revenge.
Slow at moments, but indubitably arresting from start to finish, ‘Night Comes On’ is the story of 18-year-old Angel (Dominique Fishback), a newly released juvenile with a grim determination to avenge her mother’s tragic death. But when she confronts the emotional realities that come with reconnecting with her kid sister Abby, a sharp, considerate girl living in foster care, the film fully transcends the clichés of the cinematic retribution trope––it brilliantly balances the drama of a daughter’s burning desire for vengeance with tense complications of sisterhood, predicated on a mistrust formed by their years apart from one another.
While Angel’s insatiable craving to find her the murderer is ostensibly unshakable, Abby acts as a sort of illuminating distraction that whittles away at her older sister’s violent aims. As their relationship unfolds, it becomes apparent the film is greater than a two-hour collection of pain, loss, and bloody retaliation––it’s about finding that promising something, as desolate and unpromising as it may seem, to fasten yourself to in the hope of a better future.
