The Nocturnal Third
Hard economic times lead to an evening of unease and uncertainty in Benjamin Stark’s thriller, “The Nocturnal Third.” Eli Gottfried (Kevin Maggard) works at a stoneworks plant; though he doesn’t seem suited for the work (his real talent is drawing), he and his wife, Ellie (Rachel Brady), don’t have many options when it comes to money. Their parents are out of money, and the bills are piling up, especially after Eli gets in a car accident on the way home from work one night. That is just one catalyst for Eli taking an evening shift at the plant. It doesn’t help that Eli hasn’t been able to sleep recently, making the events of his evening really start to mess with his head.
The other main character of the film is Jeffrey (Luke Weaver), a man about Eli’s age who walks into the plant during this night shift after his car has run out of gas. Less of a distraction, Jeffrey instead becomes something of a spiritual adviser to Eli, giving him a fresh perspective on life, and pushing him into a way of thinking that makes him consider possibilities outside of his current life. In a way, Jeffrey acts like Tyler Durden in “Fight Club,” only without leading Eli to acts of terrorism. That doesn’t mean Jeffrey’s influence is necessarily is Eli’s best interest…or so it appears at first.
Stark has made a thriller that rewards close attention and an appreciation of mood over narrative depth. That’s not meant as a criticism– sometimes, it’s great to be able to just sit back, and let a filmmaker play with your expectations. There’s not a lot to this film in the end– I kind of wish Stark had made more of Eli’s difficulty sleeping –but it is a fun thriller to watch, as we see how Eli reacts to one difficult situation on top of another. Sometimes, that’s all we really want out of a good film, and honestly, I’ll take it.
