30 seconds into the trailer I was riveted. I didn’t need to finish the trailer to know that I wanted to see The Night.

As the calendar turns over to 2021, studios and moviegoers alike have now adapted to the new movie landscape. I myself can finally say I’ve adapted and I’m ready to kick off the 2021 movie slate with a bang.

I received the information for The Night and watched the trailer having no expectations for what I was about to see. Within 30 seconds I was invested in the story and by the minute mark I knew that this was a movie I wanted to see. Once I get to that point in a trailer I usually cut it off but I did watch more and only became that much more invested.

This one is going to be good. Watch the trailer below:

The Night is a psychological thriller that follows an Iranian couple who stop at a hotel for the night after realizing they may be too intoxicated to drive home safely. However, once in the hotel weird things start happening and the two are forced to face the secrets they’ve kept from each other. The clock moves forward, but the night never ends.

Written and Directed by Kourosh Ahari, The Night is an Iranian film so the primary language spoken is Farsi. After the win by Parasite at the Oscars, the topic of subtitles as an obstacle for American viewers was widely discussed. Personally, I don’t mind subtitles and when a story is as engrossing as Parasite was and The Night appears to be, you forget the subtitles exist at some point.

The cast and crew is composed almost entirely of Iranian immigrants or Iranian-Americans. It will be the first U.S. produced film to be released theatrically in Iran since the Iran revolution which is a huge deal.

Based on the trailer alone, I have a good feeling that the leads, Shahab Hosseini and Niousha Jafarian, will be on my short list for best actor and actress in 2021. Ahari as well for Storytelling.

As you might be able to tell I’m very excited for this film. The Night, via IFC Midnight, releases on January 29, 2021 in theaters and On Demand.

-Bibs