Regular readers of SciFiHistory.Net know of my fondness for independent films.
Rather than delve into any great essay about why I tend to gravitate toward these smaller, quieter, gentler films, let me offer up only a few reasons. First, they’re often times much more obvious efforts of love on the part of those involved: like it or not, you can tell when a picture has been assembled by those who’ve enjoyed time spent together. Second, there’s usually a freshness to the ideas; and this doesn’t mean the story is necessarily brand-new but – at the same time – these films minimally offer an alternative, less-expansive take on subjects that perhaps we’ve seen elsewhere. Lastly, as someone who watches more films in the average year than the next person can shake a stick at, I’d rather wear out my shoes walking miles with projects and people who don’t get near as much exposure as major studios push because – quite frankly – I’m disappointed with most of what survives as ‘mainstream entertainment’ these days. If this is all Hollywood can do, then … well … I’ll happily look elsewhere … and I think the struggles of the American box office alone suggests that’s become a shared reality.
This is why I’m glad to spend time with The Strange Dark (2024).
It’s a clever yarn deserving of its title; and – from what I’ve read online – has been garnering some positive praise from screenings on the film festival circuit. Written and directed by Chris Messineo – himself and owner, director, and educator of the NJ Film School – Dark is kind of story that gets told so well in a certain format that its characters and events become inseparable in such a way it becomes impossible to imagine it as a web being spun in any other fashion. (Trust me: I’ll explain below.) It stars Nili Bassman, Caleb Scott, Carmen Borla, Bates Wilder, John Beckwith, Carson Jean Holly, and Athan Sporek in roles they uniquely make their own, all coming together in a plot that suggests the secrets to understanding the future might lie in the stars right over our heads.
Rather than delve into any great essay about why I tend to gravitate toward these smaller, quieter, gentler films, let me offer up only a few reasons. First, they’re often times much more obvious efforts of love on the part of those involved: like it or not, you can tell when a picture has been assembled by those who’ve enjoyed time spent together. Second, there’s usually a freshness to the ideas; and this doesn’t mean the story is necessarily brand-new but – at the same time – these films minimally offer an alternative, less-expansive take on subjects that perhaps we’ve seen elsewhere. Lastly, as someone who watches more films in the average year than the next person can shake a stick at, I’d rather wear out my shoes walking miles with projects and people who don’t get near as much exposure as major studios push because – quite frankly – I’m disappointed with most of what survives as ‘mainstream entertainment’ these days. If this is all Hollywood can do, then … well … I’ll happily look elsewhere … and I think the struggles of the American box office alone suggests that’s become a shared reality.
This is why I’m glad to spend time with The Strange Dark (2024).
It’s a clever yarn deserving of its title; and – from what I’ve read online – has been garnering some positive praise from screenings on the film festival circuit. Written and directed by Chris Messineo – himself and owner, director, and educator of the NJ Film School – Dark is kind of story that gets told so well in a certain format that its characters and events become inseparable in such a way it becomes impossible to imagine it as a web being spun in any other fashion. (Trust me: I’ll explain below.) It stars Nili Bassman, Caleb Scott, Carmen Borla, Bates Wilder, John Beckwith, Carson Jean Holly, and Athan Sporek in roles they uniquely make their own, all coming together in a plot that suggests the secrets to understanding the future might lie in the stars right over our heads.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Edgar believes he can see the future, but his wife thinks he's mad, his daughter thinks he's strange, and the agents from double star accounting will stop at nothing to get their data back.”
Storytelling works best when it’s done economically.
Back in my college days, I had a professor in a film class who explained this by suggesting that only those elements absolutely needed to tell the story completely need be kept in any shooting script. Anything extraneous – whether it was good, bad, or ugly – had to go as it ultimately gets in the way of the tale being told. Writers – like any artist – can get attached to their words, making it difficult to trim some eloquently composed speeches even if they’re only partially referential. As one can imagine, this is a hard lesson to learn – a bitter pill to swallow – and probably accounts for a great deal of controversy in the editing suite where a passionate narrator wants to preserve what he or she feels might be the best work.
Clearly, writer/director Messineo knows this fundamental guideline as his latest – The Strange Dark – percolates on such an economy. While I can say that there were a few of those moments wherein I questioned the purpose of a scene or even a snippet of dialogue, the film justifies everything in here in its own due course. Some viewers will have to be patient as Dark unfolds in a non-linear format, a construct largely made famous (or, at least, mainstream) by Quentin Tarantino with his groundbreaking Pulp Fiction (1994) but expanded upon by other directors in such features as Memento (2000), Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004), or even Weapons (2025). In other words, what you might question in, say, Part I has a necessary payoff in Part III. So … be patient. All will be revealed. But truth – like good fiction – takes time.
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Edgar believes he can see the future, but his wife thinks he's mad, his daughter thinks he's strange, and the agents from double star accounting will stop at nothing to get their data back.”
Storytelling works best when it’s done economically.
Back in my college days, I had a professor in a film class who explained this by suggesting that only those elements absolutely needed to tell the story completely need be kept in any shooting script. Anything extraneous – whether it was good, bad, or ugly – had to go as it ultimately gets in the way of the tale being told. Writers – like any artist – can get attached to their words, making it difficult to trim some eloquently composed speeches even if they’re only partially referential. As one can imagine, this is a hard lesson to learn – a bitter pill to swallow – and probably accounts for a great deal of controversy in the editing suite where a passionate narrator wants to preserve what he or she feels might be the best work.
Clearly, writer/director Messineo knows this fundamental guideline as his latest – The Strange Dark – percolates on such an economy. While I can say that there were a few of those moments wherein I questioned the purpose of a scene or even a snippet of dialogue, the film justifies everything in here in its own due course. Some viewers will have to be patient as Dark unfolds in a non-linear format, a construct largely made famous (or, at least, mainstream) by Quentin Tarantino with his groundbreaking Pulp Fiction (1994) but expanded upon by other directors in such features as Memento (2000), Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004), or even Weapons (2025). In other words, what you might question in, say, Part I has a necessary payoff in Part III. So … be patient. All will be revealed. But truth – like good fiction – takes time.
Two ominious Men In Black (my term, not Messineo’s) – Maria (played by Carmen Borla) and Frank (Bates Wilder) – show up unannounced one evening at your typical suburban home. At the front door, they announce themselves as employees of Double Star Accounting and their intention to locate a missing employee, Edgar (Caleb Scott). Susan (Nili Bassman) explains that she and Eddie have separated; but before you know it our corporate bounty hunters are inside, initially playing nice but growing increasingly frustrated with the woman’s refusal to answer their questions. As they begin to threaten her health and safety – as well as that of her child Taylor (Carson Jean Holley) – Edgar reveals himself … but the twists and turns of only one busy evening have only just begun.
As appreciating a great many genre potboilers requires little to no foreknowledge of surprises, I won’t spoil anything major in this space. Suffice it to say, Double Star Accounting isn’t exactly an accounting firm – not the kind regular folks would be familiar with anyway – and Edgar isn’t exactly working solely with numbers. It would seem that he’s an experienced specialist at cracking numeric codes; and he’s discovered that the secret to prognosticating one’s future lies in the ability to interpret phosphenes – those curious flashes of light each of sees when applying pressure to closed eyes – alongside some ‘movie science’ math involving starlight. The point is that he’s broken a code so strongly that everyone around him thinks he’s lost his mind; and it’s this intersection that supplies most of the intrigue, comedy, and drama for what evolves as a single-location storyline.
The importance to making an ensemble work is in casting the right talent to fill each identity; and, mostly, that’s Dark’s greatest strength.
Though Scott is a bit light on the mania required to fully sell what’s suggested as a kinda/sorta mental breakdown (or mental lapse, one significant enough to crumble his dynamic), he’s entirely affable as the Average Joe – part brainiac – who has stumbled into a life-altering discovery. Of course, it helps that Bassman – as the wife who still loves him in spite of their marital woes – is that ‘strong woman behind every man,’ and the two make for an entirely credible pairing with maybe even a bit of chemistry to spare. When he’s weak, she’s strong – and vice versa – so their match-up grounds everything that transpires herein. Holley – as their only child – is given a limited handful of tasks to accomplish here; and yet she, too, comes off looking, sounding, and behaving entirely like the product of her good-intentioned parents with the typical wild streak as it applies to youthful indiscretion.
As appreciating a great many genre potboilers requires little to no foreknowledge of surprises, I won’t spoil anything major in this space. Suffice it to say, Double Star Accounting isn’t exactly an accounting firm – not the kind regular folks would be familiar with anyway – and Edgar isn’t exactly working solely with numbers. It would seem that he’s an experienced specialist at cracking numeric codes; and he’s discovered that the secret to prognosticating one’s future lies in the ability to interpret phosphenes – those curious flashes of light each of sees when applying pressure to closed eyes – alongside some ‘movie science’ math involving starlight. The point is that he’s broken a code so strongly that everyone around him thinks he’s lost his mind; and it’s this intersection that supplies most of the intrigue, comedy, and drama for what evolves as a single-location storyline.
The importance to making an ensemble work is in casting the right talent to fill each identity; and, mostly, that’s Dark’s greatest strength.
Though Scott is a bit light on the mania required to fully sell what’s suggested as a kinda/sorta mental breakdown (or mental lapse, one significant enough to crumble his dynamic), he’s entirely affable as the Average Joe – part brainiac – who has stumbled into a life-altering discovery. Of course, it helps that Bassman – as the wife who still loves him in spite of their marital woes – is that ‘strong woman behind every man,’ and the two make for an entirely credible pairing with maybe even a bit of chemistry to spare. When he’s weak, she’s strong – and vice versa – so their match-up grounds everything that transpires herein. Holley – as their only child – is given a limited handful of tasks to accomplish here; and yet she, too, comes off looking, sounding, and behaving entirely like the product of her good-intentioned parents with the typical wild streak as it applies to youthful indiscretion.
On the other side of the coin, our screen villains are also evenly matched. Borla suffers a bit as the evil lead mostly because she’s only shown as the kind of mover and shaker who gives orders: for me, Messineo’s script lacks a scene convincing of the reputation she’s apparently earned around the office. (Barking commands is one thing: a willingness to get one’s hands authentically dirty is another. She does 'pony up' in the last reel, but it felt a little too little a little too late for me.) Beckwith – as curiously named ‘The Kid’ – winds up being a bit more comic relief than anything else: his purpose is largely to establish there’s more to Double Star’s hierarchy than what meets the eye, and – while nice – it really never resonates beyond a bit of narrative convention. Wilder’s Frank – an obvious corporate goon trying very hard to hide what beats as a heart of gold – steals scenes in small, funny ways that feel so authentic one wonders if they weren’t ad-libbed. If not, no worries … because comedy works best when you don’t see it coming.
Now, there’s a curious development late in the picture – a vignette involving Taylor’s boyfriend escaping on foot – that momentarily hijacks what otherwise was smooth sailing. Though none of what occurred outside the home between the fleeing youth and Frank is shown, there’s a strong hint that our enforcer’s explanation of how the kid got away wasn’t exactly the truth and nothing but the truth; or, maybe, all of that is speculation on my part. The way the rest of Dark works, I sensed that Frank’s account was going to turn out to be manufactured, and we – the audience – would be shown what truly went down in another sequence. That doesn’t happen, and I’ll simply leave it at that, always skeptical over just how our lovable heavy actually tore that hole in his pants.
It's often been said that the beauty of knowing whether or not viewers connected with a specific story’s characters is whether or not the film ends with the audience acknowledging a desire to spend more time with them; and I’m happy to say that’s the case here. The ensemble clicks. The story is smart – or smart enough – and the non-linear format works so well that I think it’d be improbable for all of this to function this effectively in any other manner. In fact, this suburban trio’s story about bridging time and space is really just beginning. I’m not sure the magic could necessarily be recaptured in the further adventures Edgar, Susan, and Taylor, but I suppose the temptation could be there if this first part gets the attention it deserves.
Now, there’s a curious development late in the picture – a vignette involving Taylor’s boyfriend escaping on foot – that momentarily hijacks what otherwise was smooth sailing. Though none of what occurred outside the home between the fleeing youth and Frank is shown, there’s a strong hint that our enforcer’s explanation of how the kid got away wasn’t exactly the truth and nothing but the truth; or, maybe, all of that is speculation on my part. The way the rest of Dark works, I sensed that Frank’s account was going to turn out to be manufactured, and we – the audience – would be shown what truly went down in another sequence. That doesn’t happen, and I’ll simply leave it at that, always skeptical over just how our lovable heavy actually tore that hole in his pants.
It's often been said that the beauty of knowing whether or not viewers connected with a specific story’s characters is whether or not the film ends with the audience acknowledging a desire to spend more time with them; and I’m happy to say that’s the case here. The ensemble clicks. The story is smart – or smart enough – and the non-linear format works so well that I think it’d be improbable for all of this to function this effectively in any other manner. In fact, this suburban trio’s story about bridging time and space is really just beginning. I’m not sure the magic could necessarily be recaptured in the further adventures Edgar, Susan, and Taylor, but I suppose the temptation could be there if this first part gets the attention it deserves.
The Strange Dark (2024) was produced by Anthony Pettine and Chris Messineo. A quick search of Google.com shows that the project is tentatively scheduled for release for streaming on Plex, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Fandango this forthcoming December 5th. (Additionally, there are plans for a forthcoming Blu-ray/DVD which I'm told will contain a commentary track, a making-of documentary, and bloopers.) As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can assure readers that the provided sights-and-sounds are top notch, especially in the world of independent productions. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I viewed this one via streaming, there were no special features under consideration.
Strongly Recommended.
Without a doubt, I think the single greatest reason to take in a nifty little flick like The Strange Dark (2024) is because – without obvious designs or weighty pretentions – it shows audiences exactly what’s possible with not only Science Fiction and Fantasy attempted on a small scale but also serves as a textbook example of what’s possible with a solid independent effort. Small in scale but big in stagecraft, the story and its characters deliver expertly on what’s expected here, never reaching for anything greater than the sum of what’s achievable and feasible at this level. (Trust me: I’ve seen a great many indie films destroyed by trying to live beyond their means, and –thankfully – that isn’t the case here.) My only complaint – I reserve the right to always have one – is that it ends with my wanting to spend more time with these players … even the villains … and that rarely happens in my corner of the webosphere.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that writer/director Chris Messineo provided me with complimentary streaming access to The Strange Dark (2024) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. His contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Strongly Recommended.
Without a doubt, I think the single greatest reason to take in a nifty little flick like The Strange Dark (2024) is because – without obvious designs or weighty pretentions – it shows audiences exactly what’s possible with not only Science Fiction and Fantasy attempted on a small scale but also serves as a textbook example of what’s possible with a solid independent effort. Small in scale but big in stagecraft, the story and its characters deliver expertly on what’s expected here, never reaching for anything greater than the sum of what’s achievable and feasible at this level. (Trust me: I’ve seen a great many indie films destroyed by trying to live beyond their means, and –thankfully – that isn’t the case here.) My only complaint – I reserve the right to always have one – is that it ends with my wanting to spend more time with these players … even the villains … and that rarely happens in my corner of the webosphere.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that writer/director Chris Messineo provided me with complimentary streaming access to The Strange Dark (2024) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. His contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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