THROWING CAUTION TO THE WIND // A FILM REVIEW OF "AT NIGHT COMES WOLVES"
A cautionary tale of how misogyny is so incredibly toxic and the dangers of a cult-like leader seem prime forgreat storytelling in 2021. After all, between documentaries, tv series and podcasts, true crime and dark storytelling has never been more popular. TJ Marine's feature debut AT NIGHT COMES WOLVES tackles all of that, plus more. A LOT more. The film is split up into multiple points of view and we watch them cross into each other's paths. Leah (Gabi Alves) is married to Daniel (Jacob Allen Weldy). He works late but seems to hate his job. However, when she half-heartedly tells him to quit if he hates it so much, he berates her for saying such stupid things. Still, she marches on, clearly showing us that this is not the first time she's had to handle abuse from her mate. It's his birthday and she's dead-set on making it special. Things don't go as planned and his anger and abuse manifest yet again, causing her to hit her breaking point and leave, driving out in the middle of nowhere.
She ends up at a diner (one that no one else seems to be at) where she meets Mary May (Sarah Serio), a woman who cries out, "I'm in a cult" with every breath she takes. She convinces Leah to go with her and meet Davey (Vladimir Noel), a man who we see poison a park ranger and speak in phrases that definitely declare, "Yup, I should not be trusted." There's a third point of view, a couple who have been badly injured and are looking for missing people (their storyline is the most haphazardly thrown together). Through flashback inside of a flashback, we find how all of these stories and people are connected. Sort of. Marine begins the film with a very eerie vibe, starting off promising and mysterious. Yet right before we hit midway through this breezy 75-minute film, it jumps the shark about a dozen times. Gone is the subtle mystery as we go straight into the bizarre and downright ridiculous. The acting is turned up to an 11 and motivations are thrown out the window as the filmmaker switches what kind of film they're trying to tell several times (Is it about abuse? Cults? Revenge? The danger of Misogyny? The various ways to completely confuse the audience?) Honestly, it is very unclear by the end, where we are treated to one of the sloppiest and manic endings I've seen in a while. If you look hard enough, there are solid ideas found within AT NIGHT COMES WOLVES. But they don't add up to much, at least not within this story.
GRADE: D+
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Thomas T.J. Marine STARRING Gabi Alves, Jacob Allen Weldy, Vladimir Noel, Sarah Serio. AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS APRIL 20TH