Night Burns Like Cigarettes – Raindance Film Festival 2022

Writer and Director: Elisabeth Felson

’’Hold back the night, turn on the lights…’’ sang The Trammps. Writer / director Elisabeth Felson takes a contrary view with Night Burns Like Cigarettes. Although it might be described as a documentary it is very much an opinion piece arguing the growing need to artificially prolong daylight is having a detrimental impact upon the night-time and so upon wider society.

Felson’s love-letter to the twilight hours is filmed at night in London in glorious black and white. There are two basic styles – the camera proceeding like a pedestrian through darkened deserted streets or filming through a car window. The latter is a delirious rush of images – high buildings distort due to the camera angle, or the view is obscured altogether by a burst of neon lighting.

It is an evocative film, the concept of night-time melancholia is discussed over eerie images of massive escalators operational but deserted. The thrill of getting lost – drifting aimlessly at night is described in a poetic manner as the camera roams around empty streets generating chilly images that look good enough to frame on a wall.

The filming is not restricted to views of streets and buildings. British-Zimbabwean singer Kwaye, who provides the soundtrack, is captured performing live on rooftops. Although the music is reflective the performance is far from peaceful, at times almost drowned out by the chaotic noise of the night-time metropolis in the background.

Although Lily Cole is credited as narrator the viewpoint of the film is articulated by nyctophile professor Nick Dunn who is followed by the camera during his ‘night walking’ excursions. Dunn claims the need to extend activities normally undertaken during the day- shopping, working, exercising- necessitates extensive use of artificial light which creates light pollution making it impossible to see a starry sky in the city and having an adverse effect on nocturnal creatures like bats. He uses cigarettes as a metaphor- offering transitory pleasure but causing lasting harm. Dunn claims fear of the night is atavistic-attributable to children being scared of the dark thinking it conceals mythical bogymen.

Night Burns Like Cigarettes is more romantic and poetic than practical and is selective in reasoning. Although written, directed and narrated by women there is no reference to recent events indicating women feel unsafe in cities at night. Following the murder of Sarah Everard, a YouGov poll indicated two thirds of women who ever walk alone outdoors at night say they feel unsafe. Yet Night Burns Like Cigarettes does not acknowledge bright lights in the city may be needed to deter the modern-day predators which have replaced the mythical monsters.

Night Burns Like Cigarettes is a visually ravishing movie but, although filmed in black and white, it takes a rose-tinted view of cities at night.

Night Burns Like Cigarettes is screening at the Raindance Film Festival 2022.