It Comes at Night
Directed by Trey Edward Shults
USA 2017
PLOT
A family (father, mother, and son) lives in isolation in the woods, safe from the outside world where a mysterious and deadly virus is spreading and claiming victims. Their routine is disrupted one day by the arrival of another family seeking a safe place to find shelter…
THOUGHTS
From the classic virus-movie premise, *It Comes at Night* is instead a disturbing and claustrophobic concentrate of tension and psychosis.
Shults’s steady and cold hand details the life and daily existence of Paul’s family, a man willing to do anything to protect his home and loved ones.
At the start, the first images are of an elderly man visibly infected and, soon after, dying. We learn this is Sarah’s father, whose body is marked by bruises, black eyes, and dark liquid coming from his mouth: these are the symptoms of the contagion. This figure will reappear throughout the film and in nightmares, tormenting the young Travis.
We are not told why, how, or when the virus exists; the viewer is immediately thrust into a difficult and desolate reality where tensions are daily and the fear of contagion is constant.
The family’s existence proceeds monotonously through a meticulously planned routine, marked by the sacred warning of “do not open the door, for any reason,” until the arrival of a new family (father Will, wife Kim, and child Andrew) disrupts the dynamics, raising the tension significantly.
Distrust becomes a constant that undermines balance, tensions soar, and the coexistence of the two families under one roof remains constantly precarious until the dramatic final twist.
There is no trace of splatter, gore, or body horror, but the constant tension dominates, defining the dialogues and glances, dwelling in darkness and nightmares where unhealthy thoughts and an inability to find equilibrium proliferate.
In the end, the virus takes a backseat as fear—of the unknown and the inability to manage moments and relationships—dominates, distinguishing the characters.
Shults creates perfect profiles for his protagonists; all the actors are well-cast and directed by the director’s skilled hand, who frames every shot effectively.
The twilight atmospheres of the interiors and exteriors convey the right tension that perfectly aligns with the turbulent souls of the characters.
Thus, we understand that true horror is not only outside but also resides within us and is ready to explode.
The film is available on Amazon Prime
PANDEMONIC MOMENT
Travis lies on his bed and is joined by Kim, Will’s wife, and they begin to kiss. When she pulls away, she vomits black liquid into his mouth, a symptom of the infection.
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