Noctambulous
There’s something equally sad and dreamlike in this fascinating journey of the mind and soul. The main character, played by writer/director Kelvin C. Bias, lost his wife a few months back. Now, he sleepwalks at night, wearing the same suit and tie he wore on his days as a Wall Street hot shot, and deals with his loneliness through drink and sex. He doesn’t feel whole again by doing this, but he feels something more than the despair he’s felt since his wife died.
Bias has a strong filmmaker’s voice for atmosphere, which is to say he is able to use images, words, and sounds to create a sense of an otherworldly universe where anything can happen, and the viewer is taken on an emotional journey, as well as a narrative one. His main character, Caleb, is a good person, we sense, but simply lost without his wife. He sees a therapist (Megan Corry), but that can’t help him find the answers he seeks. He’s searching for something…deeper. He’s trying to understand, to reconcile his thoughts and feelings to find peace. But his walking in the evening, his appetite for sensual desires, leaves him hollow.
Ultimately, “Noctambulous”– one of the best titles I’ve ever seen for a film –is about, I think, how without meaningful connections, we are empty as individuals. We need those deep relationships with people in our lives, or else, we will find ourselves walking through life, always searching, but never able to find. We cannot rely on others for our happiness, for the meaning in our existence. It’s up to us. Unfortunately, sometimes, we discover that too late. All of this is said in a 79-minute film that carries us along with unexpected force and feeling, and forces us to think about our own lives, and how we choose to live them. It’s quite an accomplishment.
