“Gone in the Night” (2022) starring Winona Ryder / Z-View

Gone in the Night (2022)

Director:  Eli Horowitz

Screenplay:  Eli Horowitz, Matthew Derby

Stars: Winona Ryder, Dermot Mulroney, John Gallagher Jr., Owen Teague and Brianne Tju 

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

When Kath (Ryder) and her younger boyfriend Max (Gallagher) arrive at a remote cabin they’d rented, it’s occupied by another couple.  Al (Teague) and Greta (Tju) claim to have booked the cabin as well.  Unable to reach the owner, the four decide to make the best of it and share the cabin for the night.

As the evening wears on, Greta appears to be a wild child.  And attracted to Max.  Kath decides to call it a night and heads to bed.  Max says he’ll be in shortly.  When Kath wakes up the next morning, it’s clear she’s slept alone.  She goes out looking for Max.  Instead she finds Al who is upset.  He says that Greta and Max took off in the night.

Kath is visibly shaken.  She drives home.  She’s done with Max, but obsessed with the girl who stole her boyfriend.  As she follows clues to learn about Greta, Kath finds that the evening at the cabin wasn’t as random as it appeared.  Digging too deep could get her killed.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

It’s interesting that Gone in the Night and Barbarian both have a similar start.  But then Gone in the Night becomes a mystery thriller while Barbarian is straight up horror.

Winona Ryder’s character is obsessed with finding out the truth about the evening / Greta, but also with having a man.  I wish her character was stronger and made better decisions.  The writers did give her a smart move near the end of the movie.  Dermot Mulroney doesn’t have a lot to do, but it’s good seeing him on screen.  The surprise star was Brianne Tju.  She owns every scene she’s in.  I’d seen Tju before in 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, but she didn’t make the impact she does here.  Tju is someone to watch.

The plot twist in Gone into the Night isn’t one you’ll see coming, even if you do kind of figure out what’s going on.  I almost gave Gone into the Night a higher rating, but I don’t do half stars, so…

Gone in the Night earns 2 of 5 stars.