New Mexico, 1948: A switchboard operator detects a frequency, unlike anything she has ever heard before. A radio producer broadcasts it, and myth, reality, and paranoia start blending into one.
Act I: The phenomenal antithesis between fast-talking actors and protracted shots. Specifically, we are talking about up to 10-minute dolly and steady-cam shots. Great set-up and character introduction, along with made-up experiments that get you into the low-budget sci-fi mood and make you chuckle with their “accuracy”.
Act II: Past the slow-burn intro, the clash between reality and storytelling of loneliness becomes as vague as the editing techniques pacing it. It takes yet another heroine of life to wind the pace down and get you comfy with another story from the “fortress of solitude”, the plot point that leads to…
Act III: A resolution with no twist, yet a worthy ending. An ending that the two previous acts promised and did not mislead you about.
Meet Andrew Patterson! The writer/editor/producer/director behind The Vast of Night. The filmmaker who is known for… The Vast of Night. I had never heard of the guy before. Well, guess what? IMDb hadn’t either. So, here’s the question: Who cares?! The man made this film almost on his own (using three different names). An honest tribute to The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), The War of the Worlds (1953), and The Twilight Zone (1959) with suspenseful sequences accompanied by, among others, Cretan (Greek) music!
You watch the film, then you look at his picture, and you can’t help but wonder: “Doesn’t he look like one of those alien conspiracy bloggers/vloggers”? Again, who cares?! Patterson is a talent! He got turned down by, I don’t know, 15 major film festivals? Few of them accepted him, though, and shared his vision. And I’m glad Amazon Studios did as well. I take my hat off to him. He’s living, breathing, walking proof that we all need to stick to our dream and keep it real. Andrew, cheers for that, geezer!!! Much appreciated!
A special bravo goes to Sierra Mccormick and Jake Horowitz for being true thespians and delivering Patterson’s dream.
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