Review By Jon Donnis
Originally known as Carpe Noctem, Seize the Night is the latest film to star Nina Bergman, who in recent years has been making quite the impact.
Directed by Gene Blalock, Seize the Night tells the story of a whirlwind, one night romance between a drug dealer GB (Played by Pasha Gerard) and an underground singer in Los Angeles, GG (Played by Nina Bergman)
The start of the film has GG standing on the top of a building, her arms out, seemingly about to jump, but she is quickly stopped by her manager John (Jonathan Erickson Eisley), who wants to know what she is doing, he explains it is not part of the plan, and if they don't see it, they will think something else, the papers are signed.
Straight away you can tell this is going to be a trippy film, the visuals are all incredible.
Drug dealer GB is driving through the night with drugs to sell at a party, he is listening to a "darkwave" band called Sin5, a group that performs under masks to keep their identity a secret, he has been invited to an event that will feature an announcement by his favourite band Sin5.
The organiser of the party, Windham (Played by Trevor Torseth) tells GB that he has heard about a new mind-altering drug called "suggestives". Windham informs GB that he will double his pay if he can get hold of the drug.
On his way out of the party GB bumps into GG, a young woman who is the lead singer of Sin5, but because she wears a mask when singing, GB has no idea. She joins GB to go score the drugs that Windham has asked for.
What follows is something of a tragic love story, all told within one night.
The fact that the who main characters in the film are only given initials is a really interesting choice by the film makers. It really pushes a very visual feel to the film. The chemistry between the more introverted GB and the more extroverted GG is fascinating to watch, and by the end of the film, you find yourself totally invested in their story, and their love. Despite the story only being told over one night, there are some really highs in their relationship, as well as lows, and despite the relatively small budget of the film, it really surprised me how much I was pulled in, not only by the characters, but by the surroundings of where the story takes place, the Los Angeles nightlife, the underground scene and so on.
It is also rare that I find myself wanting to rewatch a film as soon as it finished, but this is one of those times. I think that most of us can recall nights where we feel like we fell in love with a stranger that we only just met, or a short holiday romance that left an indelible mark on our souls, and because of that, it is easy to understand the story that is being told, how two strangers meet and have this incredible night together, experience so much and mean so much.
I have really tried not to spoil the film, and mention certain events, as I think they are really important to be experienced for the first time when viewing.
The Good
Nina Bergman further cements herself as a top-quality actor, who can play a kick ass role like in Hell Hath No Fury, and a more deep and troubled soul like in Seize the Night, an excellent performance which will only lead to bigger things for her, I am positive. As for Pasha Gerard, this was the first time I had seen him as far as I can recall, and I also thought he played his part really well, and was convincing as the slightly nervous drug dealer. A good story, one that makes you think, and leaves an impression on you the viewer.
The Bad
Due to the nature of the film with regards to drugs and some other events, I think this will be off putting to some, which is a shame as it is worth watching.
Overall
I was pleasantly surprised at how invested I felt in the characters by the end of the film, often when watching films I will mess on my phone, but for this one I really was stuck to the screen throughout.
Gene Blalock who directs, has done an excellent job here, and only makes me want to seek out more films by him.
I really enjoyed Seize the Night, and the ending really "got" me, which is rare for this old cynic.
I score Seize the Night a solid 9/10
Check out http://carpenoctem.film for more details on the film.
You can also watch at the following links.
You can also watch at the following links.
Amazon - https://amzn.to/39tXxM6
