Night Moves

Exploring the unusual and murky world of eco-terrorism, Night Moves is an exquisitely tense, slow-burning thriller that doesn’t quite succeed as the moralistic study it tries to be.

Josh (Jesse Eisenberg) is a seemingly unassuming organic farmer living and working in a small, tight-knit eco-conscious community in the lush countryside outside of Portland. Tired of what he perceives as a lack of real action among his peace-loving cohorts, Josh hatches a plan with naive rich girl Dena (Dakota Fanning) and laid-back ex-marine Harmon (Peter Sarsgaard).

Like in her previous film, Meek’s Cutoff, director Kelly Reichardt is far more interested in the impact actions have on characters than the actions themselves, and Night Moves takes it time establishing the psychological tension that builds within the group as they put together their scheme.

Reichardt loves to suggest, rather than feed the audience information about her characters, creating intrigue by coaxing us with tidbits. The first time we meet Josh and Dena they are having a conversation, except what they are saying is kept out of earshot until the last minute as they move closer into the frame. It’s a brilliant device that leaves us wanting more.

As the title suggests, the characters move in the shadows and we frequently see them through windows, barely lit, or on the side of the frame. Indeed the tone and look of the film is where it really shines. Beautifully shot in rich hues and broad frames, the film manages to make the stunning natural backdrops seem ominous and oppressive. Reichardt uses shadow, light and music to make locations as benign as a day spa and a farmer’s market seem sinister, vividly illustrating her characters’ intense paranoia.

It’s no spoiler to reveal that what this trio is planning involves a bomb, but the main event itself occurs off-screen as the camera focuses on the characters’ faces. Indeed the only real explosions in the film happen internally as we see their lives splinter and fall apart. Unfortunately it’s at this point that the story does too, as it moves from intense psychological study into typical thriller fare.

Eisenberg’s terse lead performance lets us know that Josh is angry about the destruction of the environment but we never find out quite what makes him tick. Besides some throwaway lines about migrating salmon, the script devotes little time to exploring what pushes a person across the line from activist to radical.

Elsewhere the performances are also strong but suffer from this lack of character depth. Sarsgaard is great as the ex-marine, his now patented brand of charm with a slice of creepiness a perfect match for the shady Harmon, while Fanning is convincing as the seemingly tough but ultimately fragile Dena, who is hit hardest as their scheme takes a deadly turn.

As a story about the moral quandaries and boundaries of activism, Night Moves doesn’t quite succeed. It’s a shame because Reichardt is so wonderful at building tension and exploring the explosive impact of misguided actions. In the final act Dena comes to a realisation about the unintentional harm they’ve done when she tells Josh ‘there’s nothing natural about this’. If only we knew what made them think so in the first place.