When Night is Falling is notable for one of the strongest and most realistic depiction of a lesbian sexual relationship ever seen on screen, and to its credit it portrays a lesbian relationship more naturally and positively than most films do, and if it helped any person anywhere feel better and more secure about their own sexuality, then it did its part and I applaud it. As a piece of cinema, though, it didn't really work for me. Pascale Bussières and Rachael Crawford are both quite good, but I didn't see any real chemistry between them; there's a sense of connection between the two only in the (very powerful and sensual) sex scenes, and since the film tries to portray their relationship as a romantic one in addition to a sexual one, I feel like it failed. Camille and Petra are clearly attracted to each other and Camille is in love with the concept that is Petra, but I never felt convinced that there's any genuine feeling between them. The romantic relationship between the two women remains a fairy-tale, and it doesn't have the realistic emotion that the film tries to achieve.
It doesn't help matters that the film tries for a statement against organized religion for trying to repress same-sex relationships. The problem here is that in the same breath the church chastises heterosexual relationships with about the same fervor as same-sex ones, and the criticism comes off muddled and vague.
The film tries hard to make itself memorable with some very pretty cinematography and tons of metaphors, but in the end it felt clumsy and amateurish to me. On one hand it strives for an honest and realistic depiction of a love affair; on the other it muddles it up with religious imagery and spiritual symbolism and it all feels like too much of an effort. It's all quite pretty, and the film indeed has some very memorable scenes, but it doesn't help the story or the message in any way, and it's not done well enough to make the film a real artistic achievement. For all the good it does, it stays on the level of an after-school special, rather than a true piece of cinema.
It doesn't help matters that the film tries for a statement against organized religion for trying to repress same-sex relationships. The problem here is that in the same breath the church chastises heterosexual relationships with about the same fervor as same-sex ones, and the criticism comes off muddled and vague.
The film tries hard to make itself memorable with some very pretty cinematography and tons of metaphors, but in the end it felt clumsy and amateurish to me. On one hand it strives for an honest and realistic depiction of a love affair; on the other it muddles it up with religious imagery and spiritual symbolism and it all feels like too much of an effort. It's all quite pretty, and the film indeed has some very memorable scenes, but it doesn't help the story or the message in any way, and it's not done well enough to make the film a real artistic achievement. For all the good it does, it stays on the level of an after-school special, rather than a true piece of cinema.