Mark Reviews Movies: NIGHT COMES ON

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Capsule review by Mark Dujsik | August 2, 2018

The directorial debut of Jordana Spiro, Night Comes On tells a simple, objectively harrowing tale of revenge in a key that we don't expect. The stakes here are quite high, as a young woman named Angel (Dominique Fishback)—just turned 18 and released from a juvenile detention facility—sets out to avenge her mother's murder at the hands of Angel's father.

The killing essentially left Angel and her younger sister Abby (Tatum Marilyn Hall) as orphans, since the father (played by John Jelks) was convicted for the crime. The girls bounced between foster homes, and at a certain point Angel, who started getting into legal trouble herself, realized that her presence was detrimental to her sister. They haven't seen each other in years, but now, the father has been released from prison after appealing his case.

Upon being released on probation, Angel decides that a reunion between the sisters is necessary. It's not to catch up. It's to learn where the sisters' father is currently living. Angel obtains a pistol by agreeing to the sexual advances of her former cellmate's father (played by Max Casella), and from there, it's only a matter of convincing or tricking Abby to give up their dad's current address.

Revenge is always at the forefront of Angel's mind, but in Spiro and Angelica Nwandu's screenplay, it's primarily an undercurrent of tension for the film's true focus: the relationship between Angel and Abby. The two sisters have been separated by circumstances, but they are united by blood—in terms of both family and trauma.

Despite Angel's protests and extended absence, Abby still looks to her older sister with a sense of awe, and the story, which becomes close to a road trip, repeatedly shows how the two need each other. Abby needs the guiding wisdom of a sibling, and Angel needs a different goal for her life beyond revenge, if only to keep herself out of prison.

The central question is whether or not Angel will realize this, and the film's tension goes beyond the obvious threats (e.g., Angel missing her mandatory check-ins for probation), reaching for how the mother's murder has affected the very core of Angel's being. Night Comes On is a tough but tender film, anchored by Fishback's strong performance and Spiro's equally strong depictions of the sisters' relationship, of psychological pain, and of hard-fought redemption.

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