Writer/director Randal Lee Smith’s Dark Side of Night is a home-invasion thriller that knows its real story isn’t about escaping the gunmen, it’s about a dysfunctional family learning to survive together.
Richard Nightingale (Chris Cleveland) is a top prosecutor with a promising future. But that came at a cost…his family. After winning a huge case, Richard decides to take his wife, Dawn (René Ashton), to their cabin in the woods, but Dawn insists that their daughter, Iris (Megan McGillicuddy), go along on the romantic getaway… strange. Before Richard can set his car into drive, the fighting begins on the long trip and then at the cabin. Of course, it’s all about family issues.
After the daddy/daughter fishing session on the dock ends early, the family is about to turn in for the night, only to have two hired guns, Porter (George Nelson) and Garrett (Russell Tadi Prim), invade the cabin, holding the three hostage. Things get out of hand when Garrett tries to do something inappropriate with Iris, and in the tussle, Iris grabs the gun. A shot is heard, and Richard is down. In the confusion, Dawn and Iris escape the cabin and flee to the woods with Porter and Garrett on the hunt for them.
“…the family is about to turn in for the night, only to have two hired guns, Porter and Garrett, invade the cabin, holding the three hostage.”
What starts as a simple story of a family getaway in the woods turns into a twisty thriller from the mind of Smith. Part survival/part family drama, Dark Side of Night tells an intricate story of a mother and daughter forced to work through what now seems like petty family squabbles toward a reliance upon one another to escape a deadly hunt. Then there’s a third act that turns everything on its head.
Where Smith succeeds is in his character development. Every person in the film is a well-defined character with wants and needs, and the heart of the film lies in René Ashton and Megan McGillicuddy, mother and daughter, who open up about the family’s secrets to spur one another to make it to morning. For those of you who may not be a fan of family drama, the film leans more toward action, and Smith makes good use of the indie location stalwart…the woods.
The saving grace of Dark Side of Night is that Smith never lets you stop caring about his lead characters—whether they’re running from the guns or running from each other. That’s what separates a good thriller from a memorable one.
Follow Dark Side of Night on Instagram for updates.
"…its real story isn't about escaping the gunmen."
