[Film Review] The Night Eats The World (La nuit a dévoré le monde)

THE NIGHT EATS THE WORLD

Not Rated – 1 hour and 33 Minutes – Release Date: July 13, 2018 (USA)

Directed by: Dominique Rocher

Written by: Jérémie Guez, Guillaume Lemans, and Dominique Rocher
Based on the novel, “La nuit a devore le monde”, by Pit Agarmen

Cast

Anders Danielsen Lie as Sam
Golshifteh Farahani as Sarah
Denis Lavant as Alfred
Sigrid Bouaziz as Fanny
David Kammenos as Mathieu

THE NIGHT EATS THE WORLD opens with Sam (Anders Danielsen Lie) attempting to pick up his box of remaining belongings from his ex-girlfriend during a party at her place in Paris. He ends up locking himself in the study, and falls asleep while waiting on her to come talk to him. The next day Sam awakens to an empty, blood splattered apartment, and he quickly learns there’s been a zombie outbreak.

The rest of the film explores how Sam stays alive as the world around him seems dead and gone. This reminded me of a cross between CASTAWAY and IT COMES AT NIGHT. While there is a bit of action here and there, this entry into the zombie genre is way more concerned with delving into the human condition, and contemplating the meaning of life. To say it’s a slow burn is an understatement, but I found the movie fascinating and Anders Danielsen Lie’s performance kept my attention the whole way through. Dominique Rocher shows great promise based off his first effort directing a feature length film.

This won’t be for everyone (it’s currently at 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, but only at 44% for the audience rating, and at 50% on Metacritic) like most recent, atmospheric and introspective horror films have been. I specifically mentioned IT COMES AT NIGHT earlier because this film has that same, plodding tone and feel. If that sounds like it would bore you to death, I’d advise you skip this movie for a ride on TRAIN TO BUSAN for your next zombie fix. If THE NIGHT EATS THE WORLD sounds like it might been in your wheelhouse, I do recommend it for a viewing. It’s, without question, not your typical zombie fare and I appreciate that more than I can convey here.