Watch out, Gen X. This is coming for your neck.
In the ’80s and ’90s, nobody was cooler than Winona Ryder. In blockbusters like Beetlejuice, Heathers, and Reality Bites, she’s proven to be a defining voice for Gen X’s angst and youthful recklessness with every growling joke, crooked smile, and piercing gaze. However, even Winona Ryder has grown and aged. Her casting status has grown from the irresistible It Girl to the harassed mother in Stranger Things. She kept her calm. But in his latest film, Gone in the Night (formerly The Cow), the character Ryder adds an extra edge to a visceral exploration of our fear of getting old and out of print.
Co-written and directed by Eli Horowitz, Gone in the Night begins with a May-December couple whose relationship has become strained. Cath (Ryder) is a middle-aged botanist who loves wine dinners with her cultured friends. Her young boyfriend Max (John Gallagher Jr., in Howling Shower Mode) becomes irritable in situations like this. His interests include designer hats, diving rods, and fishing for Kath’s friends. A weekend at a secluded cabin was meant to be an opportunity to reconnect. However, when a couple in their twenties, is forced to confront some unwelcome truths about their relationship.
After a night filled with awkwardness and annoying flirtations, Kath learns that Max has run off with the other woman (a very hot-tempered Brian). Privately and perplexed, she tries to make sense of this betrayal, which leads her to the grizzled but sophisticated cabin owner, Nicholas (Dermot Mulroney in smoke show mode). With salt and pepper hair, a deep voice, and a shared appreciation for making fools out of arrogant youth, he makes quite an impression. But Horowitz and Matthew Derby’s script gently steers clear of rom-com territory with a dash of sci-fi elements and a series of flashbacks that rehash everything we think we know about that night at the cabin.
Gone in the Night is too interesting to spoil it by revealing its true premise, or even explaining its strange original title. You could call it a dark romantic comedy, a horror movie, or a sci-fi drama and be right, but not quite. Horowitz and Derby have created a sly mash-up reminiscent of the outrageous comedy-horror films of Ryder’s youth, but with a more grounded sense of style that makes his truly twisted final act even more unsettling.
Cath isn’t an upgraded version of a teen goth or a damsel. It’s painfully common. Cath could be any of us. It was a great time “years ago” and the constant reminder of that sting. Like many before her, she pursued her youth by chasing a young lover, but ultimately became frustrated by her lack of maturity and stability. When his gaze is turned to Nicholas, dashing man of the woods, it seems our botanist has found fertile ground for his heart to blossom. Then come the hidden thorns in this tale.
Genre changes and mind-boggling flashbacks make it impossible to predict where Gone in the Night will take us. So, like Kath, we’re incorrigibly curious and on board for the flight. The sharp cast of Gallagher, Tju, Mulroney and Owen Teague creates a kaleidoscope of generational situations, from world-weary Gen Xers to FOMO-driven millennials to no-nonsense Zoomers. In a tangled character drama, Gone in the Night creates a tense discourse about the generation gap, then pushes the cracks of that conflict to the ironic breaking point of a dark but compelling fantasy.
Through all of these genre twists and turns, Ryder is our trusted guide. She skillfully dances with a sarcastic joke order, sad smile, worried look. But more than that, she carries what it means to be Winona Ryder through every step. At 50, the actress looks great but is much older than she was in the 90s. So when a naughty kid in the club points out her age, it not only bothers us because we, the older members of the audience, can understand that, but also because it’s Winona Ryder who she’s talking to! Have some respect! She walked with attitude and smudged eyeliner so you could run with her!
The pre-existing connection to Ryder’s character makes Gone in the Night even clearer. Because even as you play an ordinary woman who suffers a series of age-related indignities, this clever film invites us not to narrate but to indulge in the fantasy of Kath’s adventure. Once again, we want to be in the role of Ryder, for better or worse, or Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! So, for the last take of Gone in the Night, we didn’t just enjoy the ride—wild, rocky, and fun as it was. But we also wonder if we’re going down the same path.
With wild wit and sophisticated twists, Gone in the Night is a must-watch whether you love thrillers or worship the Winona Ryder temple.
Gone in the Night was originally seen again at SXSW 2022, performing as The Cow. Gone in the Night opens in theaters July 15th.
