‘Night has Settled’ Review By: Enrique Pedraza. The transformation that happens when someone becomes an adolescent is a truly fascinating process because we believe we are the kings of the world. We feel unstoppable but the truth is that we are so powerless. It is that frustration we feel when being stopped that leads us to experiment and reach out to the unknown mysteries of life at that age such as identity, drugs and sex. In that aspect, director Steve Clark has charmingly showcased a personal story of survival in an awfully misunderstood period of transformation that every young person goes through. “Night has Settled” is an intimate portrait of a 13-year old boy, Oliver (Spencer List) who is living the climax of young experimentation and instead of asking his super young mother, Luna (Pilar López de Ayala) for guidance, he relies on the intensely loving relationship with his lifelong nanny, Aida (Adriana Barraza) who unfortunately, doesn’t have much time left to live. It opens with a pretty flashy montage of Oliver and Aida laughing together and hugging each other as the camera captures the joyful moment in over-used slow motion. But once the opening finally dies, we see Aida waking Oliver up in the morning and we understand immediately, in a simple, short scene, the closeness and the friendliness in their relationship. It is all in Ms. Barraza (Academy Award nominated actress for Babel) and Mr. List’s minimalistic but substantial performances that become highlights of the piece. Oliver’s mother, Luna, is too young and self-centered to carefully look after him so they’ve opted for an unemotional, cold relationship that is also reflected in his relationship with his sister, Adriana (Courtney Baxter). It is merely a single-mother, dysfunctional household where Aida is responsible for the suitable education that parents should give their children. This makes both Adriana, but especially Oliver, trust Aida immensely. The film suffers from shaky dialogue that often feels manufactured rather than ordinary, as well as an overload of music and slow motion sequences that are totally unnecessary and misleading. But it is Oliver’s personal experiences and the revelation of his own troubles and feelings, that result terribly stimulating and moving. Splendid actors perform his guy friends from school who offer the film a premise that should’ve been more present in the screenplay. That premise centers on the crazy decisions, the lousy parties, the traumatizing bullying and the immature sexual relationships of kids that are discovering out their bodies and their own self worth. Did I mention that Oliver suffers from a painful migraine every time he masturbates? Ms. Barraza is a strong performer with an exciting face that offers tenderness, love, pain and the clear flare of a past life that haunts her. She brightens the screen in every scene she’s in and her relationship with Oliver is a beautiful model of real love and mutual support that is clearly expressed, but their relationship is not what matters most. It is given a lot of importance, but we understand Oliver’s dependence on her very early on in the film and his life is so much more interesting and thought provoking, that we want his personal scenes to live longer. It is so accurate the way director Steve Clark establishes Oliver’s world in school, from his friends to their interests, to that awkward difference in height between the boys and the girls at that age, where obviously the girls are much taller and that much more dominant. Those scenes are so palpable because it is clear that the material comes from a personal place in Clark’s own childhood, making Oliver’s emotions more tangible. Spencer List is always genuine as Oliver, softly revealing a complex personality full of angst and pressure that would’ve been perfect for a deeper character study piece centered on his revelatory life as a transformative teenager. Read my exclusive interview with Adriana Barraza here.
