The latest movie What Happens at Night is already taking its shape in becoming one of the most awaited movies in modern filmmaking. The movie is directed by the iconic Martin Scorsese and now unites a fantastic 3-star cast. Mads Mikkelsen is now officially in the company of Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence in what will surely be a tense and a complex drama. The casting is indication of ambition alone but what is unique about this collaboration is the emotional resonance of the story.
Based on the novel by Peter Cameron, What Happens at Night depicts the story of an American couple, who go to a cold and foreign city in Europe with the plan of adopting a child. The idea is so straightforward and even optimistic on paper. But soon the story leaves the realm of comfort and enters an even more disturbing world. What starts as a serious trip turns out to be a psychological downslope characterized by suspicion, alienation and silent terror.
Mikkelsen will play the role of Brother Emmanuel who seems to add even more the uncertainty to the atmosphere of the film. Although the specifics of his role are also under lock and key, the sheer thought of Mikkelsen entering the world of Scorsese is something that creates an interest. The actor with a reputation to be both reserved and volcanic, Mikkelsen tends to introduce a certain emotional blackness to his roles. He has a certain aura of stealthy vagueness whether he plays morally ambiguous characters or greatly divided personalities. His casting in a movie that centers on tension and dislocation is not so much an added element but rather a strategic choice which can possibly influence the sentimental pace of the movie.
The only thing in the middle of the story is a strained relationship. The scene of the couple arriving in the snow-covered city, makes it practically unreachable to reality. The hotel they book into is not welcoming and known. Rather, it has overture of strangeness. Employees act in a manner that is slightly out. Other visitors come at unusual times. The dialogues seem unfinished, and the pauses are lengthier than the ones that they are supposed to be. The pain is not bang bang, it accumulates. It is that gradual fire that Scorsese may be best at telling things with.
The fact that DiCaprio has been working with Scorsese one more time contributes to the anticipation. Their talents have been together in an unparalleled creative partnership over the years that ranks among the most reliable and admired partnership in the contemporary movie-making. Morally complicated characters to emotionally broken main characters, DiCaprio has been able on numerous occasions to shine under the direction of Scorsese. Their prior efforts have shown that they are both ready to look into imperfect humanity without idealizing it. Both films have been indicative of a strong belief between the actor and the director, which has allowed the performance to develop naturally and not mechanically. In that regard, What Happens at Night seems to be the natural extension of the working relationship which has grown over decades.
The participation of Jennifer Lawrence also makes the project even better. Lawrence has made a career out of playing emotionally complex women, not quite heroic or quite vulnerable. She has a down-to-earth quality that tends to cause her personalities to sound very lifelike. Her potential to balance both power and vulnerability might be critical in a narrative that is centered on exclusion and tension of a relationship. The emotional intensity of the adoption coupled with the pressure of existing in a new and unfamiliar land will provide a narrative realm in which performance will be as important as plot.
On a thematic level, the movie seems to explore the loneliness in its most subtle way. It is humanly special to become lost in a world that does not speak your language and in which the cultural signs are read in a different way and the intentions are made unclear. The very process of adoption is emotionally complicated. It is a symbol of hope, desire and duty. Having the hope mixed up with fear and doubt, the psychological tension is aggravated. One of the aspects that have captured the interest of Scorsese is characters that are faced with inner conflict. In this case, the arena does not appear to be on crime or blatant violence, but on psychological and relational fronts.
The addition of Mikkelsen to this ensemble can indicate that Brother Emmanuel can be more than a background character. Characters of spiritual or ideological standpoints usually become catalysts in moral uncertainty stories. It is yet to be seen whether he will be a guide, a suspect or an adversary. What is definite is that Mikkelsen hardly ever acts in characters that do not make an impression. His presence on the screen lingers, and it usually discloses in layers instead of in one.
The tone of this project is what is interesting in particular. It is not a thriller in the classic meaning of the term, but it has the tinges of suspense. It is not very dramatic, but emotional fractures appear to be at the centre of the story. The tension seems established in the slightest details, minor gestures, and instances which seem somewhat out of place. Such narration takes a lot of patience, both on the part of the filmmaker and the viewers. It is almost a bold move in a world where spectacle tends to take over, and a sluggish, poem-like, unraveling is almost shocking.
How audience will react is also something broader. The name Scorsese is enough to make people listen but the expectations may be a two-sided sword. Those who were used to his previous crime epics could expect something else strong. Still in his recent work we have been able to see a tendency to try more quiet and introspective storytelling. When What Happens at Night is too psychological uneasiness instead of dramatic challenge, it may shock one and strike too close to the heart of another.
Finally, a sense of creativity of Scorsese, DiCaprio, Lawrence, and Mikkelsen is a great mix of subtlety revealing itself emotionally, and it ends up being a noticeable presence. Although little is known about production, the main actors indicate that this is not a spectacle-oriented movie but rather one which is fueled by some inner conflict. Tales of couples under the strain of unknown factors tend to resonate home because they resonate on how delicate certainty might be. Even the most solid relationships might start to fracture as the doubt finds an infiltration way in.
