I often find that some of the more engaging stories come from the smaller, more intimate productions. This is the case with ‘Daylight’, directed by David Barker, making his feature debut. The story occurs over a two-day period in which a young couple, Irene and Daniel, are driving through the remote woods to a wedding. Along the way, they encounter an obstacle that would put their their lives, and the life of their unborn child at risk.
Alexandra Meierhans plays Irene, daughter of a wealthy Swiss man, wife to Daniel (Aidan Redmond) and soon-to-be mother. Irene is pregnant, but from the beginning of the film while in their bedroom, it is clear that something is bothering Irene, resulting in a bit of a rift between her and her American husband. Irene’s pregnancy is 100% believable, as Meierhans was actually eight months pregnant during the shooting of ‘Daylight’.
As the couple are driving through the remote woods in the expensive Maserati that was a gift from Irene’s father, they encounter a hitchhiker named Renny. Irene convinces Daniel to stop and ask for directions and, despite his cautious reluctance, agrees to give the man a ride in exchange for directions. This would soon prove to be a disastrous mistake as the film quickly evolves into a tense, suspenseful tale of survival and meditation on the concepts of faith and thrust in others.
Daniel is nervous about meeting Irene’s father, while Irene seems to be troubled by something deeper and more personal. Once they become entangled in the plans of Renny (Michael Godere) and his collaborators Leo (Ivan Martin) and Murph, the focus shifts to staying alive and waiting out the plans and outcomes of their captors. With the uneasy vibe between Irene and Daniel now subdued by the events at hand, another uneasy relationship emerges between Leo and Renny as they attempt to stay on track with their plans despite a proposition made by Daniel to save his own life, leading to his relocation from where Irene is being held. The dynamic this creates is an emotionally-charged, dialogue-driven exploration of the inner workings of Irene’s mind and the stability of trust between Renny and Leo.
What I found the most compelling about ‘Daylight’ aside from Alexandra Meierhans’ performance, is the film’s ability to maintain the mystery, revealing pure emotion while keeping the ending well hidden within the story. ‘Daylight’ is not predictable and the suspense builds during each and every minute of the unconventionally short 73 minute running time. ‘Daylight’ allows the viewer to interpret much of it’s potential direction in their own minds. The effect this has on the audience is to set the conclusion up from multiple different angles so that the viewer is never certain where the events will lead.
‘Daylight’ does end with with a “shocking” outcome. Personally, this ending was not one I had expected and isn’t necessarily the ending I felt would have been the most rewarding, but it’s still an effective outcome, playing on subtle clues laid out along the story that fit together with this ending. With that said, the movie truly isn’t about the ending, which is more of a bonus. Rather, the experience leading up to the end is what I feel makes ‘Daylight’ an exceptional cinematic endeavor.