I Am The Night | Series Review

With the age of noir filmmaking firmly in the rearview mirror, the 6-part limited series I Am the Night certainly qualifies as an event. While lacking the bombastic shock value of modern tales such as Sharp Objects or Big Little Lies, I Am the Night harkens back to a time when secrets were not so easily uncovered, and men of power were allowed to reign hell on everyone around them in plain sight. And while much of the marketing has revolved around the potential connection between the infamous Black Dahlia murder and a prominent character within, ultimately this is a story about a young woman finding her voice, and a disgraced reporter seeking redemption.

Inspired by the book One Day She’ll Darken, I Am the Night takes place in 1965 and follows Fauna Hodel (India Eisley), a light-skinned teenager who shockingly discovers that her life may be completely fabricated. Spending all of her 16 years believing she was the abnormally fair-skinned daughter of both African-American and Caucasian parentage, Fauna begins to follow a trail of lies that lead her to Los Angeles and the ominous gynecologist, Dr. George Hodel (Jefferson Mays).

Meanwhile, Jay Singletary (Chris Pine) – a journalist humiliated by his earlier reporting on Hodel – finds himself back on Hodel’s case, putting him square in the sights of Fauna’s similar pursuits. Singletary, a Marine vet with severe PTSD and addiction issues, has a code of sorts. He desperately wants to do the “right thing”, yet powerful men and shady police officers never fail to send his efforts into the dumpster. Together, Jay and Fauna venture into the pit of 1960s civil unrest, and possibly the solution to one of Hollywood’s longest standing mysteries.

Written by Sam Sheridan and with 3 episodes directed by Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman, Monster), I Am the Night is dripping with that seedy noir glow. Brightly lit palettes paint the backdrops before everything succumbs to the heavily fogged streets of downtown Los Angeles. Much like their previous win, The Alienist, the time frame springs to life here. Even the background car shots have an eerie resemblance to the filmmaking tropes of the 60s, further enveloping us into the era. It’s a risky move with today’s “everyone’s a critic” audience, but one that pays off in immersion.

In TNT’s description, I Am the Night comes across as a fairly by-the-numbers crime tale. Yet Sheridan illuminates Hodel’s story in such a way that it utilizes Fauna’s history as a catalyst for both the hook of the Black Dahlia murder, as well as the growing civil rights movement of the time. All six episodes paint a vivid portrait of the times Fauna and others are dealing with, including how her light-skinned appearance affords her luxuries that her family is not, while also speculating heavily on how everything is inherently connected.

The biggest surprise in the series is Fauna Hodel herself. Initially coming across as a stubborn teenager unwilling to listen to reason as her adoptive mother pleads for her to cease her foolish pursuit, Fauna learns and matures over the course of six episodes. It’s a delicately fierce performance delivered by India Eisley, one that showcases the breakout talent of the actress as she tackles a difficult turnabout throughout the series’ progression. One made even more difficult by the sheer star power of her more established co-star, and therefore commendable.

It is difficult to discuss Jefferson Mays’ performance without tripping into spoilers, so let’s just say he embodies everything you would expect in a suspected murderer. As his peculiarity and fondness for Fauna becomes a focal point, Mays continues to ramp up his predilection for oddness, effectively creeping out everyone in glorious fashion.

Last, but never least, is Chris Pine as Jay Singletary. I Am the Night functions as Fauna’s story, but Jay’s arc is paramount to her success. Pine is – for my money – one of the greatest young actors working today. His seemingly effortless charm is put to extreme use here, as Jay can be hard to get behind. Yes, his career has been destroyed by power and corruption, yet he also continues to place himself squarely in the path of destruction. There are moments of his that result in pathetic losses of common sense as Jay forges his path.

In a lesser actor’s hands, this role becomes a collision of clichés. Instead, Pine injects a depth and humanity characters rarely have in these moments. We empathize with his addiction, we sympathize with his severe bouts of PTSD, and finally we NEED his character to claw his way back into the light. Ten years ago, roles like these were a rarity on television, and now it’s the norm. Even still, Pine solidifies himself as a leader of the pack as he continues to elevate every project he is associated with. And make no mistake, Chris Pine is the oil that keeps this motor humming.

This is yet another success story in TNT’s rebranding itself as a purveyor of quality entertainment. Not only does the series showcase powerful performances from Pine and Eisley, it also shines a light on a troubling moment in our own history, but in a sleight-of-hand fashion as it focuses on one of the most infamous unsolved murders in Hollywood history. As the series closes out its final minutes, you want even more from these characters and this world, a rarity in today’s overstuffed content climate. I Am the Night is the very definition of Must-See TV.

I Am the Night premieres Jan 28th, 2019 on TNT
Starring Chris Pine, India Eisley, Jefferson Mays, and Leland Orser
Written by Sam Sheridan
Directed by Patty Jenkins