As well as its mellow walk-and-talk premise, the enduring magic of Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise hinges its tightly constructed script and the singular chemistry between its two idiosyncratic leads. Like other film-makers inspired by this indie classic, Liam Calvert regrettably falls into the trap of focusing solely on the all-in-one-night conceit at the expense of other narrative components with his directorial debut.
A Night Like This follows Lukas and Oliver, two strangers who share a nocturnal adventure on Christmas Eve in London. Each is saddled with his own demons. Lukas (Jack Brett Anderson), a gay man from Germany, struggles with his acting career, while Oliver (Alexander Lincoln) juggles singing aspirations and a failing nightclub. Such life baggage ought to be the glue that binds these two lost souls together but this attempt at intimacy is built primarily through stilted, expository dialogue, riddled with cliches about failures and familial traumas.
The visuals are similarly uninspired, with the many lengthy conversations between Lukas and Calvert unfolding primarily in dully functional repetitive shot/reverse shots. The lack of depth in the writing is reflected in the flat lighting as well, rendering indoor compositions oddly uncinematic. Moreover, as they encounter various characters – a lounge bar owner, a homeless teenager – you can’t help but notice the dominating whiteness of the casting which, for a film that prioritises queer experience, feels like a glaring misstep, considering how diverse London really is. Nor does it help how the city has been photographed, largely in wide shots that resemble touristy postcards. Having said this, emotional sparks occasionally do fly between Lincoln and Anderson, but their on-screen rapport is sadly not enough to temper the largely inert film-making on display.
• A Night Like This is in UK cinemas from 26 September.
