The Night (2021) | Film Review

Bearing a title equally as nondescript as it is ominous, Kourosh Ahari’s The Night is a difficult film to flesh out for the uninitiated. Echoing a stirring combination of Stephen King’s The Shining and 1408, The Night is psychological horror taking place predominantly inside both a seedy hotel and the increasingly erratic minds of our two protagonists. It’s also the first U.S. production to receive distribution in Iran in over 40 years. Pick your reasons, it’s worth a watch.

Tiptoeing around certain plot details, The Night opens as a gaggle of friends meet for drinks and good times before our lead couple, Babak and Neda (Shabab Hossein and Niousha Jafarian), head home in the middle of the dead of night with their baby in tow. Shortly into their journey, Neda realizes that Babak is inebriated and – since her license is suspended – convinces him to pull over and spend the night at Hotel Normandie until they can all receive much needed rest. While not as visually arresting as the Overlook, the Normandie is no less foreboding when Babak and Neda arrive.

After getting their baby settled and laying down for the evening, the trouble begins. A child’s voice, pounding on the door, odd noises, symbolism (pay attention to even miniscule signs like their room number), mysterious surroundings…something is happening inside Hotel Normandie. As they remain essentially imprisoned in the hotel, Babak and Neda are forced to confront horrific secrets from their past as well as the ever-present dangers around every corridor if they want to survive until the morning light.

While the occasional supporting character arrives to juice up the mystery, The Night is devoted to the increasingly paranoia-laden performances of Shabab Hossein and Niousha Jafarian. Hossein’s Babak begins as the typical male in this scenario, unconcerned with obvious tells of impending menace. Meanwhile, Jafarian’s Neda initially comes across as a bit overbearing in her need to stop for the night before deftly elaborating on her character’s perspective, though both actors imbue nuance and detailed character work as the film continues.

With minimal dialogue, both Jafarian and Hossein sell the increasing terror of their situation. This becomes of primary importance in the early goings of the film, as the audience struggles to put the pieces together and frequently finds itself screaming at the screen for the couple to GET OUT! As they each spend ample time either together or apart as the script dictates, both actors excel in convincing the audience of their respective choices as they reach their conclusion.

Kourosh Ahari directed the film – which he also co-wrote with Milad Jarmooz – and it’s obvious that Ahari has an inherent knack for evoking tension while displaying a welcome restraint to allow a scene to fully develop and play out. Though the script could use a hair more fleshing out and a bit tighter pace in spots, The Night finds its footing rather swiftly. Slow burn is an abused term, yet Ahari showcases here that by opening a film up to your actor’s performances and accentuating those with subtle tweaks in visuals and score (beautiful sound design by Nima Fakhrara), you can ratchet the suspense even in minimal moments exponentially.

Also greatly appreciated, the willingness to ensure our lead couple converses in their native Farsi, despite being fluent in English. Far too often in U.S. productions such as this, our leads would offer discourse in English – simply for the audience’s benefit – when it goes completely against the characters and their respective backgrounds. It’s a simple, but beneficial character choice.

Ahari’s film is a thought-provoking thriller with a generous amount of atmosphere to complement the captivating performances of Shabab Hossein and Niousha Jafarian. In a world where horror films are far too comfortable taking the easier path, it is refreshing to enjoy a film that aims to tickle those hairs on the back of your neck while delivering a healthy injection of brain candy as you race to put the pieces together before Babak and Neda. The Night is easily worth a visit.