Director/co-writer Eli Horowitz’s “Gone in the Night” starts in one place – a couple arrives at their rental cabin only to find it’s been accidentally double-booked – and ends up somewhere completely different. This is a crisp and intelligent screenplay, co-written by Matthew Derby. It’s easy to follow every narrative twist, but it’s vaguely creepy and consistently gripping.
Easy star power
Two major reasons for my rapt attention are Winona Ryder and Dermot Mulroney, both of whom look appealingly weathered. Ryder’s Kath wears a denim jacket and takes a minimalist approach to hairstyling; Mulroney’s Barlow wears his salt-and-pepper beard well.
These 50-somethings appear comfortable trading out their hard-charging younger days for peace and quiet, and simpler lifestyles. She runs a flower shop, he lives in a cabin and rarely ventures into the city.
“Gone in the Night” (2022)
Director: Eli Horowitz
Writers: Matthew Derby, Eli Horowitz
Stars: Winona Ryder, Dermot Mulroney, John Gallagher Jr.
As “Gone in the Night” goes on, it becomes a smart treatise on aging, a more reserved companion piece to last year’s M. Night Shyamalan corker “Old.” The theme is hinted at here and there. Kath’s younger boyfriend Max (John Gallagher Jr.) still likes underground raves and concerts; does she keep him around to feel young?
And when the couple meets 20-somethings Greta (Brianne Tju, “I Know What You Did Last Summer”) and Al (Owen Teague) in that awkward double-booked cabin meet-up, Greta “admires” Kath for being in a casual relationship. She says most women of Kath’s age have settled on either being married or single.
Into the woods
Because of the out-of-order storytelling, “Gone in the Night” kept me guessing most of the way. As it turned to its final act, I did correctly surmise where it was heading. So I’ll ding the rating slightly for that, although the ending does have a creepy, almost-plausible charm reminiscent of an X-File. (A particular one comes to mind, but to reveal it might be too much of a spoiler.)
Bolstered by pleasant framing music and an incongruously relaxing redwood forest setting, “Gone in the Night” is a nice calling card from Horowitz, whose only major credit was TV’s “Homecoming.” He’s fortunate to have Mulroney and especially Ryder in his corner.
It’s been said that the biggest sin in an actress’ career is turning 40. I guess that’s for commercial reasons. But from a talent standpoint, the 50-year-old Ryder wears her “Gone in the Night” role with ease – and honestly, she looks good for any age.
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