La nuit finit toujours par tomber

Directed by British director Benjamin Caron from a script by Sarah Conradt-Kroehler, who adapts the book by Willy Vlautin.

The film immerses us in the story of Lynette, who has 12 hours to survive a dangerous odyssey, facing her dark past with the consequences that this entails.

A solid and brilliant protagonist.

Vanessa Kirby isn't just Fantastic Four's new Sue Storm; she's also a great actress who, with her portrayal of Lynette, once again demonstrates her full acting ability, making the film her own in every way. Kirby's performance is dazzling, a dark character, full of trauma and internal struggles, who seeks her own redemption at the same time that her dark past revisits her. Adding to this is the absolute on-screen beauty of an actress whose powerful, light-colored eyes absorb your every glance, capturing the suffering that Lynette hides within her. We must add to this the supporting cast that also gives their all, including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Zack Gottsagen, and Stephan James.

A photograph of Portland is outstanding .

Damián García captures the great city of Portland with dark photography, where the lights of a city that hides a cruel night for Lynette shine brightly. All this work convincingly unsettles and stresses the viewer, moving through the underworld of this city with the presentation of ethically void characters that further sour sympathy for everyone around the film's protagonist. Added to this is a minimalist soundtrack that heightens the chaos of a crazy night.

An address without so many lights.

While the film is accurate and well-made, Caron's direction isn't as energetic as her acting. The direction is accurate and even, managing to steer its comfort zone precisely, without unduly disturbing the viewer and without taking undue risks in the proper staging, which knows what it wants to say and what it also needs to say. This result is accurate, but not dazzling. This makes for a fulfilling film, one that perhaps could have gone a step further in its wildness. However, it doesn't detract from the positive outcome of this film offered by Netflix, which perhaps had merit in theaters, especially given Vanessa Kirby's excellent performance.

Conclusion.

An interesting and well-chosen proposal from Netflix, with a worthwhile result that creates a dark thriller that's quite enjoyable for a weekend watch, especially if you're a fan of the genre.

Totally watchable, even if a bit cliched. Acting is pretty good, especially Vanessa Kirby, but writing is mediocre, bordering on unbelievable. Still, the rating is too low and deserves to be higher. Cinematography is good. There are gaps in the plot, not sure why. We have a tradition of bad Friday night movies, but this was surprisingly entertaining.

6. Stars.

Something about this film is off. At times I found myself counting the minutes until it was over, and that's never a good sign. At other times it was riveting enough to capture my curiosity. On the other hand, it's so overdone a plot these days, same story I've seen so many times. It's about a woman who temporarily mis-places her sense of right and wrong, because her sole focus is on avoiding eviction and losing her Down Syndrome brother to the system.

This actress is iconic and her acting in this is good, but the movie is bad.

Her mom is a deadbeat, and wow is that actress soooooo good at playing a loser. I've seen the actress play the bum before, but this takes the cake. What little screen time the mother has, she really leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

So back to the story. Our protagonist is having a lot of difficulties making ends meet, we are shown her true colors in that she's a high class "working girl", balancing two other jobs, one at a bar and one in a factory; and even with her extraordinary good looks, she is still not able to make ends meet. And yet, as we watch her swindle her way through the night, and then spiral deeper and deeper into some really dangerous and highly illegal activities (we are talking hard-core prison time), you'd think it would be a fun ride...nevertheless, this film fundamentally fails to entertain.

Strengths: Vanessa Kirby gives a raw, gripping performance that drives the story forward. The gritty city atmosphere and tense pacing keep it engaging.

Weaknesses: The plot feels shaky with some illogical turns. Side characters are thinly written, and the emotional payoff doesn't fully match the buildup.

This is one of those films. No, it's not glossy, its meant to be grim and low-budget, their lives are hard and the tone reflects that. The people complaining that her spiral is unrealistic have clearly never been truly desperate for long enough.

A few quibbles, but overall a movie that is far better than the rating suggests.