Eat the Night
In this queer thriller, the bond between two siblings who love online role-playing games begins to fray when the brother falls in love and descends into the depths of the drug trade.
French siblings Apolline and Pablo have found the meaning of life in Darknoon, a World of Warcraft–style role-playing game. Yet their blissful virtual existence of many years is about to come to an end when the developers suddenly announce that the servers will be shut down in the coming Christmas. While Apolline clings to Darknoon more than ever, Pablo has other priorities: he is producing and selling drugs. The siblings grow increasingly distant when Pablo meets Night, recruits him into his business, and falls madly in love. But the lovers have stepped on the toes of a local drug ring, and their downfall draws nearer in parallel with the extinction of Darknoon.
This Cannes-premiering thriller draws a parallel between progression in an online RPG and building a drug empire: level up, expand your territory, eliminate your enemies. Amid the drug business, young men Pablo and Night also want to live and love—and with their still-developing frontal lobes, they fail to grasp the dangers their enterprise includes. The vibrant, vivid visuals of Darknoon’s fantasy world create a striking contrast between utopian virtual reality and the bleak realism of the city of Le Havre.
Jaakko Jokinen (translated by Kati Ilomäki)
Trailer
