This movie is far too enamoured with tragic allegories and attempts at literary cleverness. This is a film begging for (and receiving) slathering critical acclaim while never actually presenting something audiences will engage with. Spoiler: the 'It' of the title is distrust and fear, elements that will shatter relationships, break apart families and communities and drive seemingly 'normal' people to commit atrocity. While set amidst some form of vague zombie-viral apocalypse, there is never an external threat in this film, merely the lengths people will go to protect their own. I am certainly not adverse to art-house horror, psychological slow burns, atmospheric trepidation and all manner of artfully executed metaphors, but this is a film with nothing of significance culminating in nihilism that would make Lars Von Tiers giggle. This is horribly unfortunate as the movie is otherwise close to perfectly made on every other front. The direction and cinematography is exceptional, the performances standout, the atmosphere and aura disquieting and extraordinarily well executed. There are a number of truly exceptional shots, and the whole direction infused with surrealistic and dreamlike air, creating a pervasive sense of dread and disquiet that unfortunately never actually pays off. This film is a technically brilliant piece of directing that is marred by the unfortunate need to actually drive a film.
It Comes at Night