[Rating: Minor Rock Fist Down]
In theaters and streaming on AMC+ on December 3, 2021
A lot of Christmas movies tend to follow a similar formula. Feelings of hope and warmth alongside – often dysfunctional – family togetherness. They feature scenes centered around your classic holiday traditions like putting up the Christmas tree, playing in the snow, etc. There is usually some conflict related to family dynamics which rears its ugly head during a large meal. By the time the credits roll, everyone apologizes and snow begins falling as everyone sings a Christmas carol to finish out their holiday on a light note.
Silent Night is not your normal Christmas movie.
The first feature film from writer-director Camille Griffin, Silent Night sees old friends and their loved ones reuniting for a Christmas celebration. The anxiety of preparing for guests runs rampant in the opening of the film. Tidying up, getting dinner prepared, cleaning up to look presentable – all things that we can relate to in one way or another. But as stressful as the holidays are, there is one thing that can surely make them more stressful: the impending apocalypse. And that is exactly what our characters are up against.
After the years and years of devastating toxic pollution finally catches up with the people of Earth, it is the end. A cloud of toxic gas is making its way across the planet, killing anyone in its tracks. The government has developed a solution for those wanting to prevent their own suffering – a pill that, once swallowed, will painlessly kill you within five minutes. We begin to realize that this gathering is not just for Christmas – it is for the end. The families plan on taking their pills together after spending one last evening together.
But it would not be a holiday gathering without some relationship drama. Right, folks?
Joining Nell (Keira Knightley), Simon (Matthew Goode), and their three sons, Art, Thomas, and Hardy (real-life brothers and sons of the director, Roman Griffin Davis, Gilby Griffin Davis, and Hardy Griffin Davis) are Sandra (Annabelle Wallis), Tony (Rufus Jones), and their daughter Kitty (Davida McKenzie), Bella (Lucy Punch) and Alex (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), and James (Sope Dirisu) and Sophie (Lily-Rose Depp). It’s a full house and as the night goes on, secrets are revealed and friendships get tested.
Throughout the night, dynamics are made clear and conflicts boil to the surface. Art is not sure if he wants to take the pill with the rest of his family which causes trouble with his parents. Sandra clearly has unrequited feelings towards James, despite being married to Tony. Kitty does not get along with any of the other children. Alex is battling the urge to drink alcohol, despite being sober for an unspecified amount of time. And perhaps, the biggest conflict – Nobody likes James’s girlfriend, Sophie. She is quite a bit younger than the rest of the group which causes some friction. But Sophie has a secret of her own. In this house, there is no way that it won’t be revealed at some point.
Silent Night‘s MVP in all of this is Roman Griffin Davis. After his breakout role in Jojo Rabbit in 2019, he proves here that that film was no fluke. Even while being surrounded by a great ensemble, he is the star of the show. His lines deliver the biggest laughs and tug on the heartstrings the most. He is a talented young performer who I hope remains in the business for a long time. Naturally charismatic and impossible to take your eyes off of, Art is the heart of the film.
What makes Silent Night so different from other holiday films (you know, other than the world ending apocalypse) is its dark tone. It is an incredibly dark comedy with moments of humor being followed by moments reminding you of the characters’ inevitable fate. Sometimes, the humor is found in the reminders of the characters’ inevitable fate. There are some inspired moments of comedy found in the darkest moments of the evening but it is not consistent enough throughout its runtime. In fact, Silent Night does not hit its full potential until the last third of the film.
As the night draws to a close and as the cloud of toxic gas approaches the home in which our characters are staying, the movie finds its voice. Rather than playing the somber moments 100% straight, they strike the perfect balance of keeping the jokes while also paying respect to the not-that-unrealistic situation and the people who are going through it.
In the hour leading up to this, the character dynamics that play out are interesting enough but we also know what is coming. The anticipation of the end makes some of their arguments seem irrelevant. I can imagine the movie being reworked to let these arguments breathe in a way that helps us focus on what is happening instead of what is to come. As it is, everything happens so quickly that we are not given enough time to feel the weight of their conflicts. They lose their importance when something as catastrophic as the world ending looms large.
Silent Night is a mixed bag. It is worth a watch for people looking for a different kind of Christmas movie but I can’t fully recommend it. It sticks the landing but for too much of the runtime, I was left wondering if there was more to the story. I rarely advocate for films to be longer but I really do wonder how that could have affected my feelings. For once, I think the short runtime hurt it. Although I was left satisfied with how the movie ended, when I look back, I have to be honest with myself about how I felt for the preceding hour. I won’t say that Silent Night deserves coal in its stocking, but I am not sure that it deserves much of anything.
Logan Van Winkle is an aspiring film critic, born and raised in Kansas City. Since he was a kid, Logan has known two things about himself: He loves movies and he has opinions. A lot of them. Combining those two things is his #1 dream in life. Having people actually read those opinions is his second dream.
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