It Comes at Night

The movie opens with a haunting shot of an isolated home, shrouded in an atmosphere of foreboding and unease. This fortified dwelling, which has become a sanctuary for a lone family, serves as the only semblance of security in a world beset by unrelenting chaos. The family's patriarch, Will, played by Joel Edgerton, has established a rigorously strict regime to protect himself and his loved ones from the unknown threat that lies outside. Emotionally guarded and characterized by a set of strict decisions and self-reliance, Will drives the home and each person's movement within it. His unyielding demeanor is deeply reflective of the psychological toll of adapting to these apocalyptic conditions, as a general sense of unease, exacerbated by fear, grips the house at night. As the movie progresses, the viewers are introduced to Will's wife, whose name and backstory remain unclear, only an ephemeral glimpse is given throughout the entire film. Her fragile mental state can be seen, as she conveys tension and panic that contradicts Will's strict approach, driving most impulsive decisions in the midst of this unimaginable crisis. Their son, Henry, played by Kelvin Harrison Jr. is a sensitive and emotionally conflicted character in this perilous world. He struggles to regain a grasp on the concept of home and love, in the face of their seclusion and danger outside. The consequences of these strict rules, observed and repeated by Will are clear in Henry. Trouble arrives when a desperate family - a father, James, and his son, and a woman, Sarah, appearing with an unknown disease infection signs though later never proven - shows up at the door one day. They are desperate for a place to seek refuge from the horrors outside, putting the family's precarious existence into shambles. The new family brings what could easily be a spark to put Will's tight defences apart. Their presence creates an internal conflict that would soon show themselves in Will's firm grip on his family in this environment. As the family dynamic evolves, with Will determined to resist their entreaty for refuge and Sarah desperate for help, these questions flood the environment: would allowing these refugees into their sanctuary be worth the possible price, and would saving these people merely release a vulnerability in that carefully designed stronghold that is at constant risk outside. While this remains unresoled, the fear mounted from what would in the future become known to our main individuals a threat has began to show some faces. James' death after many episodes make Sarah the only one which would raise further questions as for what type this thing outside is.