A Moonless Night (Uruguay’s selection for the 2016 Academy Awards – Best Foreign Language Feature) is a sweet and melancholy tale of love, missed chances and the passing of time.
It’s New Year’s Eve and three lonely people make their way to an unnamed small town in the middle of Uruguay. César, a divorced taxi driver, is visiting his ex-wife’s new family to try and win back the love of his five-year-old daughter. Antonio, a magician, becomes stranded after his car breaks down on the way to a performance and he meets Laura, a toll booth attendant, on a motorway in the middle of nowhere. And Miguel, a once famous folk singer is on day release from prison so that he can perform again in front of an audience.
A suitably downbeat soundtrack that includes Tom Waits’ ‘Lullaby’ underscores fine performances and a script that finely balances gentle humour with genuine emotion.
