The Allnighter is an engaging drama written and directed by Aimee Graham making her feature debut. We follow the story of Terrance played by Owen Beckman.
Within minutes of the film beginning, we get the impression Terrance isn't living his best life.
When he's not dodging threats from loan sharks who are after his gambling addict mother and having awkward moments as he drives for Uber transporting people he can't stand, Terrance is obsessively completing his PHD in astro physic's which he has been working on for the last seven years.
When Terrance's car is stolen with his life's work inside the trunk he suffers an existential crisis which propels himself on somewhat of a spiritual odyssey to get it back in order to seize the future he wants as opposed to the suffocating present he's trapped in.
It's hard to find any real critical faults in this one.
The cinematography is beautiful and Owen Beckman who plays the films protagonist Terrance commands the screen holding his own against more experienced and established Hollywood actors like David Koesche (Anchor Man) and Tom Lister Junior (Good Friday).
Aimee wrote the characters very well and clearly took her time choosing the right actors because you can't help but feel empathy for every single one of them even when they say and do some pretty questionable things.
She effortlessly avoids the kind of pitfalls most directors fall consciously avoids cliche scenarios and neatly tied up endings in favor of something both heartbreaking heart wrenching optimistic and relatable.
As Alfred Hitchcock put it "What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out"
There were no dull bits in the Allnighter.
Within minutes of the film beginning, we get the impression Terrance isn't living his best life.
When he's not dodging threats from loan sharks who are after his gambling addict mother and having awkward moments as he drives for Uber transporting people he can't stand, Terrance is obsessively completing his PHD in astro physic's which he has been working on for the last seven years.
When Terrance's car is stolen with his life's work inside the trunk he suffers an existential crisis which propels himself on somewhat of a spiritual odyssey to get it back in order to seize the future he wants as opposed to the suffocating present he's trapped in.
It's hard to find any real critical faults in this one.
The cinematography is beautiful and Owen Beckman who plays the films protagonist Terrance commands the screen holding his own against more experienced and established Hollywood actors like David Koesche (Anchor Man) and Tom Lister Junior (Good Friday).
Aimee wrote the characters very well and clearly took her time choosing the right actors because you can't help but feel empathy for every single one of them even when they say and do some pretty questionable things.
She effortlessly avoids the kind of pitfalls most directors fall consciously avoids cliche scenarios and neatly tied up endings in favor of something both heartbreaking heart wrenching optimistic and relatable.
As Alfred Hitchcock put it "What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out"
There were no dull bits in the Allnighter.