A Stormy Night

A threatening storm is playing havoc with flights from New York and causes "Marcos" (David Moragas) to seek shelter at his friend's apartment. She has gone alway to avoid the weather, but her friend "Alan" (Jacob Perkins) is there and the remainder of this film depicts the twenty-four hours (or so) as these two gay men learn a little about each other. It is quite intimately filmed, this - but the whole story is contrived and over-scripted. Perkins brings an intensity to his performance, but the underlying themes of love, happiness, frustration etc... are depressingly familiar. Despite the odd quip and some fairly predictable attempts at humour, this really just comes across as a rather unfulfilling story that left me indifferent to both characters and rather bored with a will they/won't they dynamic that really fails to get off the ground - and never looks like it should either. The audio of the thunder and lightening around them, along with some frequently rather dingy lighting, does lend a little to the atmosphere of the scenario, but in the end Perkins just has way, way too many lines to deliver and, well, eighty minutes seemed to take much longer.

Some people are not used to watch plays and this huis-clos, is close to it. So I get that some didn't like it, or stopped watching it early, that's not a reason to say it's bad. It's a type of story that lets you identify, think, dream. Who's not in one of the side of this line there is between them ?

They are absolutely opposite in nearly all matters you could think of. Even on cooking or how to go out buy as stuff under the rain, love versus sex, and so many other things I won't tell not to spoil it.

That is the whole point of the movie. I did, as surely anyone watching it, focused on when or will it even or should it ... happen. What can possibly happen between those two persons ?

But the exchange was full of understandings and, and what else ? Well life... Life...

I kind of liked the use of black and white, it kept me focused on the "action".

This nice little movie is like a novel to read away from home. I guess a 5.1 surround mix should have given more depth, too bad.

No there is no sex in the film, and it is in black and white and it is more or less confined to various rooms. A Spaniard has to stay over because of a storm in a stranger's house and spends the night there with one of the two lovers who live in it. They talk a lot and sometimes the camera moves and sometimes there is just stillness of camera movement. I have seen a lot of films like this and notably Rohmer's ' Ma Nuit Chez Maud ' comes to mind. It is not as good ( for me ) as the Rohmer but it is an ambitious film. Why ? It questions monogamy, and the two characters resist their attraction towards each other. I know for a lot of homosexuals the lack of sex is frustrating, the black and white pointless but there is such a thing as austerity in film. Dreyer, Bresson, Ozu and to a lesser extent Bergman showed that it works and holds an audience and this film clearly wanted to hold an audience's attention. I think it could have worked better with actors who were clearer in their speech. I missed out a fair bit of the dialogue and had to rewind. This was annoying but I found the film a refreshing change from a lot of Gay film which has a shower scene to indicate that we will see nudity etc, etc, etc. I hope Gay people will stop accepting formula. This film is finely directed and certainly deserves better and more intelligent reviews. I personally feel it did not quite succeed, but for those who lack concentration it will not succeed at all. It demands attention to solid dialogue and intimacy without sex. Agnes Varda was mentioned in the dialogue. I do not think she would have had difficulty with it, but then she would probably have needed subtitles and for parts of the film so did I. See it if you can.

I enjoyed the film immensely. The characters are introduced as polar opposites - one against the idea of monogamous relationships and the other a staunch defender. As the film progresses each of their stances is subtly but decidedly influenced by the other. A seed of doubt is planted and they question the absoluteness of their original beliefs. It was touching and brilliantly underplayed. The splendid use of black and white photography underscores their evolution. If you are not sure about seeing the film, I encourage you to read the other positive reviews and hopefully you will enjoy A Stormy Night film as much as I did.

Two strangers meet during a stormy night thanks to a mutual friend. One is a film maker from Spain on is way to a festival in California that is showing his documentary. The other works from home on a dating app, a gay dating app, and hosts the filmmaker on his unscheduled layover in NYC/Brooklyn.

An intimate film, a character study of two strangers whose brief encounter changes both their lives, not in big dramatic terms but sufficiently that one feels both have grown in small but discernible ways thanks to the encounter.

The black and white cinematography feels appropriate and reminds one of character driven European films of the 50s and 60s. There is a graduate student feel to the film (thesis project), some stilted dialogue, and wish there had been more clarity and development in the characters. But given the obvious budget restraints, the sensitivity to the subject, and the charm and ease of David Moragas as actor, I'd say it's an auspicious beginning.

If you don't need car crashes and sex but enjoy the subtle and more lyrical character study, you'll appreciate the work here.