THE VAST OF NIGHT MM D: Andrew Patterson. U.S. 90 min. Sep 12, 11:59 pm, Ryerson Sep 13, 11:30 am, TIFF 3 Sep 15, 9:45 am, TIFF 3. Rating: NN
Framed as a feature-length episode of a Twilight Zone knockoff that never was, The Vast Of Night is a deliberately modest tale of a teenage switchboard operator (Sierra McCormick) and a radio DJ (Jake Horowitz) who become fascinated by a strange radio signal in their small New Mexico town, circa 1957.
Relative newcomers McCormick and Horowitz are a charming screen pair, her spunky eagerness contrasting nicely with his baby-McConaughey swagger, but they’re stuck in a story that’s almost inert. Between screenwriter James Montague and Craig W. Sanger’s reliance on monologues and director Patterson’s fondness for long, static takes, The Vast Of Night is more likely to lull the Midnight Madness audience to sleep than give them nightmares.
There’s probably a really good podcast inside it, though.