Davide Montecchi's second film, Al progredire della notte, confirms and develops the style first emerged with In a Lonely Place (2016), moving along the lines of atmospheric and psychological horror, where time and space become instruments of tension rather than mere narrative frames. The plot - a young woman who, in the dead of night, encounters a sort of "witch" ready to drag her into a dark world -recalls archetypal patterns and fairytale influences, but Montecchi avoids reducing it to a simple game of quotations. Instead, the film seeks its own identity, working with distorted spaces and the constant sensation that reality could crumble at any moment.
Among its greatest strengths are the meticulously crafted sets, which transform the interiors into a veritable perceptual trap, and the direction of the actors: Lilly Englert and Lucia Vasini intensely convey the duel between innocence and ambiguity, between victim and executioner. The choice to introduce the theme of communication with the afterlife through metaphony also lends the story an original and refined touch. The direction is modern, highlighting moments of tension while maintaining a more intimate and refined approach, which amplifies the protagonist's and the viewer's sense of disorientation.
At times, the pacing is unsteady, with sequences that are overly drawn-out and repetitive, ultimately dampening the emotional impact and losing their incisiveness. The finale, while coherent on a symbolic level, at times appears rushed compared to the meticulous construction of the central section.
Despite these small reservations, however, Al progredire della notte stands out as a courageous work of independent cinema, capable of combining visual impact, narrative tension, and symbolic reflection. Montecchi demonstrates a personal voice and the ability to modulate it coherently, unafraid to draw on archetypes and references, while always seeking to adapt them to his own narrative. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a film that deserves attention and support, because it testifies to the vitality of a certain Italian cinema that dares to explore darkness with style and rigor.
