A man and woman get a drink.
CHASING THE NIGHT is used with permission from Abraham Adeyemi. Learn more at https://instagram.com/abeislegend.
Fatimah and Leon are hanging out together at a seductively moody bar somewhere in London. Their time together at the venue is almost over and they're figuring out what's next. They decide to head to another bar for one more drink.
They have a lovely time, then head to another bar. Soon the night becomes a series of "one more drink," but at the end of the night, their relationship reaches a state of clarity as they reach their final destination together.
Directed and written by Abraham Adeyemi, this elegantly moody short romantic drama is an understated yet richly atmospheric snapshot of two people who mean a lot to one another but are unclear about what shape those feelings will take with each other. Shot with a subtly seductive elegance, the narrative is a vicarious pleasure, evoking the allure of London on a night full of possibilities. But it's also a mature, wistful exploration of what is and what could have been, making for a subtle but genuinely poignant watch.
The writing captures how an evening out can curve and wend its way around during the evening. At first, it seems laden with possibility for Fatimah and Leon, as they travel from one place together, each place with its unique vibe. The structure is simple yet meandering, tracing how one drink for Fatimah and Leon becomes many, leading to a series of nocturnal wanderings that continue the ongoing conversation between the pair. Each new place subtly shifts the dynamic and allows us to see a new dimension of Fatimah and Leon, both on their own and together.
Sometimes that conversation is friendly and bantering; sometimes the dialogue has a sense of affection and attraction. Actors Deborah Ayorinde and Sope Dirisu capture Fatimah and Leon's varied textures of emotions, both as individuals and as a pair, conveying a deep vein of connection between them. Each new drink and place is like a different stage of their relationship. We get a fuller sense of their history: they're not a new couple on a date, as we may have believed at the film's beginning. Instead, there's more to their story, as well as the sense of a chapter that must come to a close before the next one can open.
Part of the pleasure of CHASING THE NIGHT is how it both captures and expands the contemporary romance genre. Like many films of the genre, it has a sophisticated cosmopolitanism that's faintly aspirational, but its subtle, understated maturity of emotion grows richer as the film goes on. In the end, it's a melancholic exploration of lost love, capturing how love can linger between two people, but also a gentle acceptance that life has moved them along. The storytelling's authentic and full depiction of a modern London at night offers a nearly voluptuous sense of time and place, but its characters also realize that it's no longer the right time and place for them as a couple, leading to a poignant and wistfully tender closing of a clearly important chapter for them both.