Night Moves (2013)

Three radical environmentalists look to execute the protest of their lives: the explosion of a hydroelectric dam.

Director:

Kelly Reichardt

Writers:

Jonathan Raymond (as Jon Raymond), Kelly Reichardt

Stars:

Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, Peter Sarsgaard

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jesse Eisenberg	...	Josh
Dakota Fanning	...	Dena
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Harmon
Alia Shawkat	...	Surprise
Logan Miller	...	Dylan
Kai Lennox	...	Sean
Katherine Waterston	...	Anne
James Le Gros	...	Feed Factory Clerk
Traber Charles Burns	...	Felix
Autumn Nidalmia	...	Mable
Barry Del Sherman	...	Corser
Jason Rojas	...	Activist 1
Clara Mamet	...	Activist Filmmaker
Mikey Kampmann	...	Activist 2
Matt Malloy	...	Boat Owner

Storyline

Josh and Dena, two young environmental activists, are planning a large scale act to force the world to think about what they're doing to the environment. They pull in Harmon, a man with a sketchy past, to help them pull off their big plan. However, unforeseen consequences bring a whole host of guilt, paranoia and other problems, and their ultimate act will change themselves more than the world around them.

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Plot Keywords:

organic farming | paranoia | guilt | explosion | environmentalist | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Page Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 April 2014 (France)

Also Known As:

Night Moves

Filming Locations:

Medford, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$24,100 (USA) (30 May 2014)

Gross:

$252,903 (USA) (1 August 2014)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Maybach Film Productions, RT Features, Film Science

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Dano and Rooney Mara were considered for the lead roles before Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning were cast.

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Goofs

Lake of the Woods (Oregon) is a natural lake, and does not have a dam as portrayed in the film. (Galesville Reservoir, which is 100 miles from Lake of the Woods, was used for filming)

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dena: Whoa, I think that was an Oriole. I didn't know we had those.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2013 (2013)

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Soundtracks

The Reflection of You (Lovelock Remix)
Written by Jon Philpot, Joseph Blodget Stickney, Adam Stewart Wills, Michael Darius Wofford
Performed by Bear In Heaven
Published by Warp Music Limited
Courtesy of Dead Oceans
By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music

User Reviews

Guilt is what you feel before you do something wrong

Way too many negative reviews of this excellent production of cinematic art! I must speak out and state my opinion of this movie. It has little to do with radical environmentalism, as so many believe. Instead it is a story that deals with the lack of guilt and then the overwhelming feeling of remorse for a wrong committed.

The plot line is about three idealistic youths who are too immature to realize the consequences of their actions in creating a destructive environmental statement . Director Kelly Reichardt has Jesse Eisenberg as 'Josh', Dakota Fanning as 'Dena', and Peter Sarsgaard as 'Harmon'. Josh, Dena, and Harmon are best described as politically committed environmentalist. We are not given much information on each characters background, we know they are sensitive individuals because they care about the natural process of things around them. The Harmon character is the wild card and the leader of the other two. Harmon has a military background which makes him suspect from the start - if he cared about the environment why would he join the military - which is more about destruction than preservation.

Their idea to destroy a dam is half baked at best because it is made clear, after the fact, that destroying one dam on the river is futile as there are many dams along the course of the river. When Josh, Dena, and Harmon realize this they are consumed by regret for their foolish action and the fear of being caught. Harmon tells them to communicate in no way. Harmon disappears, Dena becomes a nervous wreck as shown by her case of hives, and Josh becomes paranoid and irrational.

Night Moves is a study in the human condition. We as individuals seldom consider the far reaching consequences of our hateful actions, and individuals create societies, societies create nations. I believe Kelly Reichardt has made a clear statement on our world today. Just because this story only shows the actions of three people their actions had far reaching consequences on innocent others. The same statement can be made about nations and their actions against other nations. And what is achieved in the end - destruction, death, fear, and paranoia.

At the end of the movie we see Josh becoming a nonperson and having to look over his shoulder from fear. In the mirror he has no reflection but he can see other people. Who's friend and who's foe?