Eat The Night - Altered Innocence (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 2024
Directors: Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel
Writers: Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel, Guillaume Bréaud, Clémence Madeleine-Perdrillat
Cast: Théo Cholbi, Erwan Kepoa Falé, Lila Gueneau, Mathieu Perotto, Eddy Suiveng, Kevin Bago, Xavier Maly, Thierry Hancisse, Mareme N'Diaye, Kimia Mvula

Release Date: March 11th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 107 Minutes 7 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $32.95

"Pablo, a small-time drug dealer, and his teenage sister Apolline have forged an unbreakable bond through their shared obsession with the online video game Darknoon. When Pablo falls for the mysterious Night, he gets swept up in their liaison, abandoning his sister to deal with the impending shutdown of their digital haven alone. As Pablo's reckless choices provoke the wrath of a dangerous rival gang, the end of their virtual life draws near, upending their reality." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Eat The Night comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.6 GB

Feature: 19.8 GB

Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are solid, and compression is very good.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in French with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, balanced, and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with non-removable English subtitles), two short films directed by Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel: Baby Anger (13 minutes 28 seconds, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo French with non-removable English subtitles), and Watch the Fire or Burn Inside It (18 minutes 20 seconds, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo French with non-removable English subtitles), and an interview with directors Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel (17 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with non-removable English subtitles).

Other extras include trailers for She Is Conann, Fögi Is a Bastard, The People’s Joker, and Sound and Fury. 

Summary:

Siblings who were once inseparable have their bond tested when one of them starts a new romantic relationship.

The narrative revolves around a brother and a sister who play an online video game called Darknoon. The narrative opens with them learning that their beloved video game will be shutting down on the winter solstice. Where the news devastates the sister, the brother has more pressing issues related to selling drugs. A further strain is put on their relationship when the brother forms a bond with a man with whom he becomes romantically involved.

There are two things at play in Eat the Night: the siblings' bond being put to the test and the brothers' relationship with a married man who also has a child. Of these two things, the most compelling moments are those with the two siblings. That said, the moments with the brother and his lover are not always as convincing. Also, there is an additional dynamic thrown into the mix when the brother goes to jail, and he asks his lover to take care of his sister, which forms a bond between these two characters.

When it comes to the performances, no one performance stands out. That said, though there are no problems with any of the performances, the characters lack dimensionality. This is most egregious when it comes to the man in charge of a rival drug operation and his henchmen. Another shortcoming when it comes to the characters is the amount of time devoted to the brother and his lover's sexual interactions, instead of moments that add depth and build up their characters.

At 107 minutes in length, there are several lulls, and things in general move at a deliberate pace, which disrupts any momentum. Though the video game Darknoon is the starting and ending point of the narrative, for most of the narrative it is an afterthought. From a technical standpoint, there are no areas where Eat the Night is lacking. Ultimately, Eat the Night is a film about consequences due to one's actions, and the choices that the brother makes often cause harm to those he cares about.

Eat The Night gets a first-rate release from Altered Innocence that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and an informative interview with the directors.

Written by Michael Den Boer