Night Comes On is a drama directed by Jordana Spiro and tells the story of 18 year old Angel and her 10 year old little sister Abby. Angel and Abby are in separate foster homes due to the murder of their mother by the father. The movie opens with Angel remembering her mother as a little girl, and remembering both parents during happier times as she paces a jail cell. While in foster care, she’s been doing petty crimes and so she is released from foster care immediately after her 18th birthday. We learn she was placed in 13 foster homes and was previously molested while in foster care. She doesn’t have any other family members to turn to, and she hasn’t seen her little sister in a couple years. She learns her father was acquitted of the murder due to lack of evidence.
Angel has been hardened by the system, but is still a somewhat baby-faced young adult. She visits with her little sister she hasn’t seen in a couple of years. Even though they haven’t seen each other in years, the bond between them is still strong. Little sister Abby is still at the age where it’s easy to forgive and forget although you can see how she’s being affected by the foster system. She wants a relationship with her father who is attempting to win her over, and she wants to be a family again with her big sister. Angel is not so forgiving. Without her mother, her life has unraveled and she has learned to not trust anyone.
This movie isn’t another Precious. No one is shown beaten or abused and there are no screaming matches. While Angel is street smart and tough, she’s vulnerable. She is a little naïve in that she doesn’t see a future beyond her immediate goal. Angel is determined to take the steps to obtain the information and tools necessary to carry out her plan of revenge. The way she misses her mother, the ordeals she experiences, the relationship with her sister, and especially the feelings she tries to hold inside is what make me empathize to her character. Angel needs someone to look after her and this movie shows the importance of a good mother, a stable family, and what typically happens to foster children when they are abused and then discarded by the state system. The sensations of abandonment, betrayal, and unresolved feelings hit you even though the actors are largely unknown.