Night Moves
Directed by Kelly Reichardt
Night Moves is one of the most psychologically interesting movies I have seen this year. Shunning the paradigmatic fast pace and drama of the usual terrorism plot, Reichardt instead focuses her latest flick on the development of the characters in the undertaking.
The three primary (almost only) characters of the film are Josh (Jesse Eisenberg), Dena (Dakota Fanning), and Harmon (Peter Sarsgaard). From the beginning, it is clear that the point of the film is not to hammer home a political point, or to propagandise an event; these are three individuals who are done with talking and are acting instead. In another off-the-beaten-track film for which they are becoming known, Eisenberg and Fanning bring the consequences of large acts down to the individual perspectives and make the viewer think about why they are taking the actions they are. Sarsgaard is a perfect counterpoint to the brooding Eisenberg and the somewhat naïve Fanning and almost certainly could have carried a larger role in the film without problem.
The film is evenly split between pre-event and post-event scenes. The event itself, the blowing up of a large hydroelectric dam, is indicated by an off-screen explosion of which only the sound is experienced by the three perpetrators. Interestingly, the best elements of the movie come after the event, in the way each of the “terrorists” deal with the consequences of what they have done and not entirely in the emotional sense. The ambiguity of the ending sequence could be frustrating for some, but it completes the movies in the same spirit in which it unfolds.
While I can appreciate the cinematic skill evident in Night Moves, it is not a movie to see if you want to relax; and unless your significant other is a political science major or an environmental activist, this probably not a go-to for date night. It deviates significantly from the fast-paced, dramatic, inevitably happy ending we are used to seeing come out of Hollywood – for that alone this movie should be considered.