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6 Degrees Entertainment

Take Back the Night [VOD]
(Emma Fitzpatrick, Angela Gulner, Jessica Lafleur, et. Al | 1 hr 30 min | R | Dark Sky Films)

Overview: When Jane, an artist and social media influencer, gets savagely attacked by a monster on her way home from a party, she must learn to move on with her life — even in the face of repeated attacks, anxiety, and doubts about the events by those around her.

Verdict: The first fifteen or so moments of Take Back the Night feel quite like a student film. The angles are odd, and the encounters the lead character, Jane, has at a warehouse party — with strobe lights and close shots of revelers popping handfuls of club drugs — feels forced.

But fortunately, the film gets these awkward moments out of the way up front. When Jane (Emma Fitzpatrick) escorts a drunk girl out of the party (I kept wishing that girl would come back, but she didn’t), she is stalked by an eerie presence.

This is one thing at which Take Back the Night excels — instilling a sense of foreboding in the viewer when it’s needed. This monster is a shadow, with claws and a low, guttural growl, and is covered in flies.

The initial attack by this random creature is, perhaps, the lowest point of the film, but like the other less-than-awesome moments, the Shaky Cam lasts a very short amount of time.

The following hour and change is taken up with Jane trying to bring awareness to this act so as to prevent it from happening to someone else, but also to deal with it herself.

The bulk of this story is predictable; Jane is doubted by the police and reporters, as well as her social media followers once it comes to light that she had been dabbling in illicit substances the night of the attack and that her mother had suffered from mental illness all her own.

Fitzpatrick (a co-writer on the film along with director Gia Elliot) never falters in her portrayal of a young woman out to prevent a tragedy while wrestling with what she feels — but cannot be sure — happened to her. Jane remains adamant that she has seen a monster, even going as far as to create a hashtag: #MonstersAreReal.

Many doubt the veracity of her account, including a police detective (Jennifer Lafleur), and at least, at first, Jane’s sister (Angela Gulner). Gulner, shines brighter than any of the stars in this constellation, particularly when she comes around to Jane’s story.

The monster in question is a CGI wonder, always preceded by a horde of flies like The Godfather’s certain death oranges, and with glowing green eyes and sharp claws.

And even when the monster is not on screen, its presence is felt in a growling sound and clawing at Jane’s subconscious. It may sound a bit corny here, but it is very effective on screen.

The final confrontation between Jane and the monster is one better seen than explained, but I will say that the end is abrupt, leaving a slight emptiness as the credits roll.

And just before those credits, a PSA for various sexual assault hotlines, which clearly drives home the point that you have all along been watching an allegory for sexual assault and what happens thereafter. Perhaps by design, the film shares a name with a foundation that helps to combat sexual and domestic assault.

Bearing this in mind, Take Back the Night, for any and all of its imperfections, is a compelling and effective watch.

Review by: Ashley J. Cicotte

Take Back the Night is available to stream VOD.

Take Back The Night [Official Trailer]





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