Ever so often a documentary comes along that blows me away, shattering my expectations while delivering an impressively layered narrative that says profound things about humanity. Jesse Moss' The Overnighters is one of those films. The film is centered around Jay Reinke, a local pastor living in the town of Williston, North Dakota. This small town is in the middle of an oil boom, attracting a large array of desperate individuals looking for work. Completely lacking the infrastructure to support this overflow of migrants, Pastor Reinke begins a program called 'overnighters', offering these desperate individuals a place to sleep at the church. Well-intentioned, the Overnighters program is met with ire from the local comunity, bringing strife to the Pastor and his family. The Overnighters takes a look at a very complicated situation, capturing perspectives of a very sensitive issue. In a way, the film is a microcosm of immigration issues in America, capturing the fear and anxiety by locals towards newcomers. These locals look at these migrant workers as a threat to their way of life, with the film beautifully capturing how the only difference in many cases is bad luck. The Overnighters is a profound film because of its ability to remind the viewer how easily they could be one of these struggling individuals, showcasing how fragile life and financial freedom can truly be. Without giving anything away, The Overnighters does take a surprising turn towards the end of the film, but a very necessary one, that perfectly encapsulates a major problem in our society. The Overnighters captures the judgmental, self-righteousness of our society, showing how many people tear others down in an effort to feel better about themselves. Everyone has skeletons in their closet, and the film unfolds in such a beautifully poetic way, perfectly capturing how we are all human beings with flaws. The Overnighters is a film that is best experienced by going in cold, but it's an incredibly impressive achievement that captures humanity in a way few films ever could.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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