NIGHT OF THE BEAST – SLIFF Review

NIGHT OF THE BEAST screens as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival November 5th – 22nd.Ticket information for the virtual screening can be found HERE

Using some of Iron Maiden’s most famous tracks, including “Aces High” and “The Trooper,” first-time director Mauricio Leiva-Cock — co-creator and showrunner for Netflix’s “Green Frontier” — tells the story of two young metalheads coasting aimlessly through Bogota’s alleys on the day of the band’s first-ever appearance in Colombia. While biding their time before Iron Maiden’s concert — their day is wrecked and friendship sorely tested when hoodlums steal their most valued possession: the tickets to see their favorite band perform live.

Review of NIGHT OF THE BEAST

Remember the days of music concerts. Especially the big rock and roll
and heavy metal extravaganzas which packed stadiums, arenas, and all
manner of massive outdoor venues. Seems so long ago, doesn’t it? If
you’re feeling nostalgic for those days when you and several thousand
like-minded fans could bask in the ear-popping mastery of the “guitar
gods’, then this is the virtual rock show for you. But it’s got an
unexpected twist in its locale. Yes, it centers around a real band and
a real concert, though the show didn’t happen in the UK or the USA.
We’re headed south of the border, past Mexico, all the way to
repressive Bogota, Columbia a dozen or so years ago. When the sun set
on February 28, THE NIGHT OF THE BEAST began.

And no one was more “amped” about that event than the two high school
BFFs at the heart of this film. Though they shared a powerful passion
for all things “metal”, particularly that evening’s star attraction
Iron Maiden, the two young men are near polar opposites. Vargas
(Daniel Esteban Reyes) would be considered part of the “cool crowd”
with his tough attitude,  “boy band” good looks, and leather jacket
swagger. He’s even “too cool for school”, often “ditching” for weeks
at a time. But somehow he’s still loyal to childhood chum Chuki
(Esteban Galindo) who’s still retaining his “baby fat”, makes an
effort in class, and can’t control his long curly locks. He’s shy too,
especially around the cute friendly server at the corner diner where
he fills up on “cheese bread and coffee”. Oh, besides their shared
music taste, both are living in single-parent homes. Vargas’ dad who
used to be part of a band spends most of his nights inside a bottle
(and sleeping it off). Chuki dotes on his hard-working still lovely
nurse mother but chafes at her religion-based house rules. On that
February day in 2008, the concert is their only goal as they skip
school, acquire those tickets, and have lots of adventures in the
city, from standing up to college-aged bullies to dropping in at the
vintage record store to hear tales of past glories and rock legends.
And when the unthinkable occurs, can the duo scramble to avoid the
police (and military) to bask in the glow of their idols?

Director Mauricio Levia-Cock (who co-wrote the screenplay with
Benjamin Figueroa Garcia) fills the film to the brim (it’s a tight 70
minutes) with all the passion and playfulness of exuberant youth. It’s
a sweet love letter to those carefree heady days when the whole world
revolved around your band and the big concert. Particularly effective
is the sprightly use of animation. With little warning, bits of
artwork resembling scratchboard (white lined) would pop up for a few
seconds on different parts of the screen. It took me a bit to realize
that the director was trying to emulate the ballpoint pen sketches
that would fill the margins of schoolbooks and notepads (usually
tribute art of their band logos). It’s a fun effect, but it doesn’t
distract from the wonderful performances by these two young actors.
They tease and sometimes bicker, but it’s clear that their friendship
goes far beyond their love of “the Maiden”. These brothers make THE
NIGHT OF THE BEAST a sweet song of nostalgia.