PLOT: Nell, Simon, and their son Art are ready to welcome friends and family for what promises to be a perfect Christmas gathering. Perfect except for one thing: There is an impending apocalypse looming outside and everyone is doomed to die.
REVIEW: I’m a big fan of unconventional Christmas movies because I just feel the need to mix things up between that warm and fuzzy feeling that most Christmas movies give us with a bit of something that uses the holiday as a clever juxtaposition to horror. In my world, I need The Holiday just as much as I need Black Christmas (the original, not the trash remakes). Silent Night falls into the unconventional category although it begins like something far more traditional. Family and friends of varying personalities are gathering for a big Christmas celebration and with that comes the fun of uniting and the uneasiness of potential dysfunction. Silent Night plays with the narrative cleverly with very dark comedy full of seemingly unlikable characters. Why should we care about these well-off people and their problems? You begin to question that as you hit the 20-minute mark but once you’re 30 minutes in, and the doom of the outside world becomes more clear, you begin to feel compassion for everyone involved. This is a very offbeat cinematic experience that won’t be for everyone but I completely dug the film’s use of snarky comedy that was successfully blended with the bleakness of their situation as the story moved towards its climax.
Writer and director Camille Griffin somehow pulls off the impossible here. Much of Silent Night shouldn’t work because the shifts in tone, in less capable hands, would be far too jarring. It’s clear that Griffin knows this story and knows these characters well enough that she makes us buy into their unique situation. Griffin also plays on the familiarity of gathering for the holiday. The story establishes itself as s king of comfortably comedic look at the pressures and awkwardness of throwing a holiday party. Friends gossip behind each other’s backs and the women try to overhear a fight between a couple they don’t 100% root for. It’s all funny stuff because it’s something we’re all familiar with. It’s as if Griffin wants to wrap you up in what you know (including classic Christmas tunes) before pulling the rug out from underneath you. Most of the jokes, particularly in the beginning, have to deal with the interplay between adults who have known each other for years and aren’t afraid to be rudely blunt with each other, even about their kids. The children are also quite clever in a wise beyond their years kind of way which could be why the adults treat them almost as if they’re on their level. The one rule seems to be that the kids are allowed to swear, within reason, and it’s these unconventional family bonds that give the film’s humor a very biting tone. Griffin crafts wicked-smart dialogue that is delivered with marksman-like precision from her ensemble cast. Griffin certainly knows her characters but the actors are also keenly aware of what she’s expecting and they go all in without missing a single beat.
Eventually, the film lets you in on exactly why the group has gathered for this particular Christmas celebration. The end of life on the planet is drawing closer if the government is to be believed. Depending on who you believe, the adults have royally screwed up Earth and they are sending a storm of poisonous gas to spread across the globe and it’s believed that this gas will cause an agonizing death. The UK government’s only solution is a suicide pill which offers a painless alternative. Everyone seems to want to succumb to just taking the easy way out except for young Art (played by Jojo Rabbit’s Roman Griffin Davis, who is also the director’s son) and Sophie (Lily-Rose Depp) who has deep reservations about doing it because she’s expecting a baby with her boyfriend James (Sope Dirisu). Of the two, Art is more optimistic and he becomes the heart of an offbeat story. Art questions what if the gas doesn’t kill you? What if science and government are wrong and we can survive? His two brothers (played by his real-life brothers Gilby Griffin Davis and Hardy Griffin Davis) are willing to fall in line with what their parents want. Nell (Keira Knightley) and Simon (Matthew Goode) try to maintain a nothing is wrong face and self-control but as Art wants to openly defy the family’s choice to take the pill, their fear is surprisingly palpable because it’s not about telling Art what to do for the sake it and more about their fear of their last thought being their son suffered an agonizing death. This all sounds bleak, and it truly is, but Griffin somehow shows a steadiness in bringing existential dread, difficult discussions about mortality, and the constant suspense of when doom will finally arrive, while also maintaining a sense of humor about the situation that doesn’t take away from the film’s overall impact.
The ensemble cast is excellent from top to bottom but it’s Roman Griffin Davis, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, and Annabelle Wallis as the stuffy but consistently hilarious Sandra, that steal the show. Davis has to display, humor, fear, and anger and it’s a tall task for a young actor to move through all of these emotions seemingly but he’s clearly a pro and is perfectly in line with the more veteran performers of the cast. Keira Knightley is solid in a role that allows her to showcase humor and a strong maternal instinct for her son while Matthew Goode is the very image of control until he isn’t. His performance is one that builds and once he’s allowed to truly let go, he offers up one of the film’s most impressive moments. If the film has consistent comedic relief, it belongs to Annabelle Wallis who easily steals all of her scenes. Her delivery is dead-on as if she has been living with this dialogue all of her life. Speaking on the ensemble as a whole, I’ve seen some reviews point to the characters being unlikeable as a detriment but Griffin walks the line with them enough that you may not want to personally have dinner with them but you have enough empathy for their situation to hope for the best outcome.
In the end, Silent Night was a pleasant surprise for me. I found myself laughing out loud while almost in an instant feeling emotionally invested in a real way about the outcome for all of the characters. Making this work is no easy task but everyone involved was up for the challenge and the end result is a film perfect for Christmas viewing when you’re seeking something a bit darker than the normal fare.