Night Moves (2014)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Night Moves (2014) – K. Reichardt

Director Kelly Reichardt’s latest film is strikingly photographed in the Pacific Northwest and hypnotic in its droney-rhythms (Reichardt is her own editor).  Jesse Eisenberg’s inhibited performance maintains the minimal approach -- we never really get inside his character, an eco-terrorist.  The same is true of Dakota Fanning’s rich kid – what are her motives for taking part in the destruction of the dam?  Organizer Peter Sarsgaard’s role is a bit more defined and he helps to move the movie (and the other two) along into an almost thriller.  Moral questions abound and despite a few bum notes (would that person actually say/do that?) the film lays them out there for us to consider without much editorializing.  In the end, this seems a movie about a place in space and time (at a certain point in the Earth’s history and in a certain geographical and cultural location).  Reichardt charts things well but the plot seems almost beside the point and the glorious cinematography, artful shots and intriguing directorial decisions captivated me more.