To the Night

Norman has never come to terms with the fire that, in his childhood, took away all those closest to him. His inner sorrow and feelings of guilt prevent him from starting a new life with his girlfriend and son. Although the fire took everything, it now becomes a path to dealing with his trauma. Gifted director Peter Brunner ramps up the near physical intensity of the viewer’s experience via the thoughtful use of unspoken hints and images, which assail the associative processes of the subconscious rather than the rational mind. Starring the captivating Caleb Landry Jones, the story presents one man’s desire for a life unburdened by trauma, but while doing so it offers up a spectacular and brutally intimate study of a wounded individual. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)