What is lacking in After The Night With Valerie is the story. Excluding Layne, all the other characters are flat, only serving as props for the protagonist to fit into his life. What is it about Valerie, aside from her looks, that entices Layne so? Did he know her before Nate started dating her and was just too shy to do anything about it? If so, was Nate aware and, therefore, kind of a jerk for going after Valerie anyway? What about Layne’s photos initially enticed Jess to stop by his little booth? What does Jess offer to Layne that makes her such a good match for him (aside from her appreciation of his art)?
Sadly, none of these questions can be answered, as the filmmaker exclusively focuses on Layne to the detriment of the story and characters. Fleshing them out, so their impact, real or imagined, on Layne’s world view is fully understood, would only serve to make Layne more complete and open up the world the film is set in. As it stands, we see a bunch of strong actors play out scenes that don’t always seem to have a purpose or consequences on the main character.
Then there’s the whole real versus fake memories. The elevator pitch for After The Night With Valerie is, “A recovering amnesiac’s memories are replaced by fantasies he believes actually occurred.” However, as scenes repeat, more information is gleaned, as they play out longer, or allow something different to happen. Given Layne’s unexplainable memory loss, this comes across, storywise, as him just filling in the gaps as information and stimuli trigger these dormant memories. As such, despite the assured direction, the reality versus imagined aspect is underbaked, leaving audiences confused as to how they are supposed to feel about Layne.
“The cast is excellent, the direction is strong…”
Is this a story about a man feeling so guilty and/or traumatized by a certain event that he’s creating a new narrative for himself? Or is this a drama about a man coming to understand the wrongs he committed in life by having to relearn them and come out the other side a better, more empathetic? Yes, it could be both, but the film never fully commits to either way. The “new narrative” way leaves plot holes, as clearly not everything, good or bad, is being rewritten, nor can it be (think Shutter Island). The “empathetic” version needs to hear more stories from the people in Layne’s life to work in that way.
Then there’s the ending. Obviously, no spoilers, but the conclusion absolutely does not work. While it is slightly set up within the first shot or two of After The Night With Valerie, how/ why it takes just those five years from Layne, not the pre-teen timeframe it is set in, leaves audiences confused. This means the moment’s intended impact is dampened, so the emotional connection with viewers is never truly felt.
There are a lot of positives to be found throughout After The Night With Valerie. The cast is excellent, the direction is strong, as is the editing between past and present. But all that talent is serving a screenplay that only has one realistic character and a fractured storyline that fails to commit to what it truly wants to be. While this is not a total waste of time, audiences can do better.
"…is this a story about a man feeling so guilty and/or traumatized by a certain event that he's creating a new narrative for himself?"
