Director Lawrence Johnston's visually powerful, if not at times narratively dull ode to the night features a large number of testimonials from various creatures of the night, such as taxi drivers, emergency services crew, and other inhabitants from the other half of our 24 hour world, who are all different in race, age, sex and creed.
They speak of how the role of electricity has turned what was once pitch black into a lit up landscape of traffic lights, tall buildings, and carnivals; the pursuit of fun, sex, drugs, and alcohol through a never ending and always open stream of bars and night clubs; the sanctuary and intimacy the night brings whilst as home; how the moon and a star filled night sky can still stir the soul, provoking questions concerning God, religion, spirituality, and our role in the universe; the freedom, danger, and unpredictability which the cloak of darkness generates; and our fear of the dark, where dreams can become nightmares. The film is primarily set within Sydney and Melbourne, with brief interludes focusing on the outback.
Cinematographer Laurie McInnes provides startling images which are equally awe inspiring and frightening, while composer Cezary Skubisewski contributes a stirring and momentous score.
Even at 82 min, the film does seem to drag on thanks to its repetitive structure. More images from the outback and other rural areas were needed to counterbalance the images from the city, and less talk would have made the images on hand that much more mysterious and powerful, leaving the viewer to rely on their own thoughts about the mysteries of the night, rather than being bombarded with the musing of others.
Overall Night is a good and interesting documentary, but not something I would watch all over again.