Eat The Night is a 2024 French thriller directed by  Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel (Jessica Forever, As Long as Shotguns Remain and How Are You?). The film stars Theo Cholbi (As Above, So Below, The Night of the 12th and Le choix de Cheyenne), Erwan Kepoa Falé (Passages, Winter Boy and Chica Checa), Lila Gueneau (The Fantastic Journey of Margot and Marguerite, Les Temoins and À bras-le-corps) and Mathieu Perotto (The Rapture, Les Melange des genres, and The Bureau). 

The story follows a brother and sister, drug dealing older brother Pablo (played by Theo Cholbi) and the quiet, shy Apolline (played by Lila Gueneau) who have become obsessed with an online video game called Darknoon, however, after ten years the developers announce that they are going to be permanently closing down the server. At this point, Pablo decides to move on with his life and enters into a relationship with Night (Erwan Kepoa Falé), who joins him in his criminal ventures, while his sister Apolline remains consumed by the final days of her beloved game. All three of our protagonists find their lives changing forever, and not in the ways they had expected.

Eat the Night is, in part, an interesting gay coming-of-age story, but also a look at how we as humans have become increasingly entwined in online communities and how dangerous that can be for our own physical identities. Poggi and Vinel have created a fascinating and thought-provoking slice of cinema that leaves the viewers with plenty to think about. The film itself is well-scripted, flows easily, and has an ambitious albeit flawed plot, however, it does suffer a little from being somewhat predictable in its outcomes. Although it is worth mentioning that despite its shortcomings, it remains a stylish and attractive tale that will strike a chord with many viewers. 

The cast is excellent, particularly the three leads who are more than believable in their roles as three desperate individuals trying to understand where they stand in the general scheme of things.  It is also worth noting that the moody cinematography by Raphaël Vandenbussche (Titanic Ocean, 4 Histoires Fantastiques and Toni) creates the perfect atmosphere for a movie that has such lofty ambitions as Eat the Night. 

Overall, the new Blu-ray from Altered Innocence looks and sounds great with some decent bonus materials, particularly several short films by the directors, an interview with the pair, and the US trailer. Eat the Night is a solid and enjoyable way to spend 107 minutes. It doesn’t quite achieve its lofty ambitions, but it’s still a very solid piece of filmmaking.