After The Night
Starring: José Zeferino Da Cruz, Pedro Ferreira
Director: Basil da Cunha
Rating: 3/5
Basil da Cunha makes his feature film directorial debut with this week with film After The Night, as he makes the leap from short films.
Since the success of City of God, we have seen a whole host of movies focus on dangerous street around the world.
This time around, we are taken to the tough and violent streets of Portugal as we get to explore the nocturnal life of Lisbon.
An outcast living a solitary nocturnal life with an Iguana named Dragon as his only friend; Sombra wanders around the Creole slums of Lisbon as he is looking for cash to pay back the local gang boss.
Dragged into an armed robbery, he runs away and is chased until the early hours of the day.
First and foremost, there is a real sense of place and identity in this film, as da Cunha has used real locations and people of the slums to capture something that is raw and real.
There is no doubt that this movie does highlight the struggles facing many of the people in Portugal after the economic downturn: Portugal is one of the hardest hit as Europe battled with economic problems in recent years.
Sadly, this movie really does lack that emotional punch and the power that we saw in City of God: a movie that After The Night will inevitably be compared to.
While using none-actors is a great idea, you do have to wonder what experienced actors would have brought to the characters and the scenes. Would they have been able to bring the emotional smack that this film really does need?
Having said all of that, da Cunha confidently directs this cast of none-actors and he really has brought his own flair and sense of style to this film.
Directing none-actors with a screenplay for them to work from, is an achievement for any filmmaker, let alone one making his debut.
After The Night is a quick paced movie that is sprinkled with great moments and a gritty feel. I thought the slums were particularly claustrophobic, which worked really well.
However, it is missing the 'something' that was have elevated this movie even further.
After The Night is released 25th April.