Day Night Day Night
I think this may be one of those films that operates lives and dies in its value as a Rorschach test. It’s probably a satisfying experiment for those who can extricate themselves from rationality, which is fine and good for some films, particularly in the realms of experimental or avate-garde works. Here though, we’re following a suicide bomber as she prepares for the big event and then wanders through New York City towards Times Square. She, which is the character’s credited name, operates within a world of rationality, so it struck me as continuously frustrating that Day Night Day Night overtly evades any and all politics. We receive no hint of motivation for the planned attack. We see that She, for one reason or another, has decided to detonate a bomb in the middle of a pedestrian crosswalk and has some older men and women facilitating, or perhaps spearheading, the plan. That’s all we’re given, yet it’s hardly satisfying. How can a suicide bombing be apolitical?
My rational side couldn’t stop trying to analyze her actions and emotional states to decipher something about her motivations and goals. We see no distaste for her surroundings as She stumbles through New York City, except for when a young man tries to flirt with her. Otherwise, She enjoys American food, is overly polite with everyone she interacts and has few reservations about asking strangers for change. I found myself constantly sorting through these observations to create a cohesive story, which doesn’t appear to be what the film wants. The film’s aim is seemingly to wrap the viewer in empathy for someone attempting a heinous crime. On this level, it succeeds most during the second half, when She roams the city streets. I can feel her frustration and panic when things don’t go properly, or her helplessness when she’s lost in the bustling city with no change to contact anyone she knows (and when she gets the change, most of her calls find no one on the other end). But when she’s waiting in a sparse motel room for men with ski masks to go over instructions for the bombing, I have a hard time with that. Her apparent willingness to be essentially a hostage to her handlers is beyond me. And when those handlers bring her multiple sets of clothing for her big day and have her try each on as they approve or disapprove, I once again get sucked into trying to make some rational sense of what’s happening. Why reject that sweatshirt? What are they trying to say with the chosen outfit? We’re given no answers.
Luisa Williams does a wonderful job in the lead role, with much of the film centered directly on her face in close-up or medium shots, but she can only convey so much without any context for her decision and dedication (which is somewhat shaky) to the mission. Perhaps director Julia Loktev is going for an existential atmosphere, but it’s dashed against the rocks when the audience comes face to face with an evasion of rationality. She is asked by her handlers to make a video by reading something they’d written while in front of a militant backdrop and holding a gun. As soon as they’re ready to roll, the film cuts to the aftermath. It’s difficult, if not impossible, for the viewer to not linger in the time between those shots. I want to know and that doesn’t result in a sense of existentialism, but irrationality.
