Night Always Comes is a 2025 American crime thriller drama film directed by Benjamin Caron, based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Willy Vlautin. The film stars Vanessa Kirby (who is also a producer), Jennifer Jason Leigh, Zack Gottsagen, and others. It was released on Netflix on August 15, 2025.
Lynette is trying to buy the house she shares with her mother and developmentally disabled brother in Portland. When Lynette’s mother spends the money they were going to use to buy a house, Lynette goes on a dangerous and desperate all-night journey to raise $25,000 to keep their home. The movie looks at themes of survival, sacrifice, and the search for safety in the face of personal trauma and economic hardship.
The story takes place over one intense night and shows how Lynette’s efforts to keep her family together become more and more dangerous as she faces a dark past and makes hard, sometimes reckless, decisions. Some critics say that the movie focuses more on atmosphere and character development than on making a broader social statement. However, Vanessa Kirby’s performance has been praised for its depth and emotional intensity.
Night Always Comes Movie Review
The movie Night Always Comes (2025) has received generally mixed reviews with considerable praise for Vanessa Kirby’s performance but some criticism of the film’s execution and writing.
Key Highlights from reviews:
- Vanessa Kirby gives a raw, gripping, and intense performance as Lynette, expertly balancing strength and weakness. A lot of people who have seen the movie say that her acting is the best part.
- The movie has a dark, scary mood and a tense, all-night story structure. The actors and the filming are both very good. People have praised the style and mood of the direction and cinematography.
- But a lot of critics think the screenplay or plot is a little too predictable, uneven, or doesn’t give enough emotional payoff. Some say the story is too much or the writing is too unbelievable.
- The movie talks about important issues like class differences, economic insecurity, and desperation, but many critics think it doesn’t go far enough with these themes or doesn’t push them hard enough.
- The pacing and tension are good, but some scenes or character moments don’t have enough emotional weight. People say that the mother is especially unsympathetic, which affects how emotional the story is.
- People think the movie’s story isn’t as tight or satisfying as those of other gritty thrillers like Uncut Gems.
- Review aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes show these mixed reviews. They praise Kirby’s star power but say the movie doesn’t fully connect.
How faithful is the film to Willy Vlautin’s novel
The film Night Always Comes is considered a fairly faithful adaptation of Willy Vlautin’s 2021 novel The Night Always Comes. Benjamin Caron directed the movie, which shows the main character Lynette’s struggles to save her home in Portland, Oregon, as she deals with economic hardship, gentrification, and desperation.
The movie Night Always Comes is very similar to the book in that it is a one-night journey with a lot of psychological urgency. It also shows Vlautin’s social realism and criticism of urban displacement. Vanessa Kirby’s performance as Lynette shows the fierce dedication and raw need that the book talks about.
Some critics say that the movie focuses more on Lynette’s personal problems and conflicts than on the bigger social issues that the book goes into more depth about. The book talks a lot about class differences, rich people in cities, and the end of the American Dream. Vlautin’s writing is praised for being naturalistic and having real characters.
The movie keeps the main story, characters, and tone of Vlautin’s work. It’s a gritty, socially aware neo-noir thriller, but some of the broader themes in the book are more clear in print than on screen.
Night Always Comes is available to watch on Netflix.
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