‘All Through the Night’ is a heartfelt exploration of a father-son relationship prima facie. However one requires only a slightly closer look to realize the myriad undercurrents that constitute it. The narrative invokes memory, a fraught relationship with the past, familial dynamics, and their potentially volatile nature. 

Neil has arrived at his childhood home for a farewell, one that is as inevitable as it is essential. His father Alexander, a former choir conductor, battles Alzheimer’s and is about to move to a health facility permanently. While trying to comprehend this rapidly disappearing relationship with his father, Neil finds himself looking back at his own memories of him, perhaps in a manner he had not done before. As precarious as the balance might be, a balance that holds the last vestiges of their equation, it is still tightly controlled and molded by a shared past, no matter how turbulent. Music, at last, becomes the common thread to tie it all together. Finally now, during a moment of goodbye, the two reach and inhabit the same plane, even if ever so briefly, suggests the narrative. 

Along with portraying a poignant story, the film also does a notable job of raising awareness about the illness itself, and the many ways Alzheimer’s affects families and carers. The writing, performances, visual progression, and background score, all aid this endeavor notably, allowing the film to come together with smoothness and ease.

All Through the Night  | Short Film of the Month

Christoph and Philip, a pianist and an adult industry professional, share a beautifully affectionate marriage. This is precisely why the heartache of still having irreconcilable differences of opinion over the latter's choice of profession makes it a concern that compels the viewer to be deeply invested in the various ups and downs of their relationship. 

Only Human (Bytost) brings to life a sophisticated union of vulnerability and protectiveness in Christoph who is further disturbed by the medication that Philip is required to take for his job. As their differences turn into massive fights, a far bigger tragedy awaits the couple.

The cinematography employed to portray all of these dynamics, complexities and nuances of a marriage is poetry in itself. It ensures that the non-linear narrative is successful in invoking a recent past of trauma and tragedy that has given way to despair, heartache and grief. Through its treatment of pain that is left in the wake of loss, there is an engagement with bias - towards homosexuality, and pornography and those who work within the field, further allowing the film an added layer in the treatment of its thematic concerns. 

 Lastly, there is the attempt to invoke a sense of being trapped, stuck in a vicious cycle one might find themselves unable to break out of, often making them feel like they do not belong to this mortal realm of humans. However, the film's loud resounding message is that we very much do. Irrespective of how humongous our tribulations might seem we are, after all, only human.

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