One Night (1931) review - Gloomy, loud, and weirdly charming

If you have a soft spot for dusty, black-and-white dramas where everyone looks incredibly stressed about borders, One Night is worth your evening. It’s perfect for history nerds who love early sound cinema, but if you can't stand slow-moving family arguments, you should probably steer clear. 🌲

The whole thing is set right on the edge of the Russian border, where the Beckius family is trying to keep it together. Their youngest kid, Armas, is a total rebel who ends up running off to join the Russian revolution after a massive fight with his folks.

The film has this weird, clunky energy that only 1931 films have. The sound technology was clearly brand new to them, so some scenes have this *dead silence* that makes you think your speakers broke.

But then, suddenly, a door slams and it sounds like a gunshot. 💥

I loved the mother character, played by Gerda Lundequist. She has this one glare that could freeze hot soup from across the room.

There is a moment early on where Armas is just staring at a wall, and the camera stays on him for what feels like three minutes too long. You can tell the director was just amazed they could capture face shadows so well.

It reminds me a bit of the heavy mood in Sealed Lips, which also had that gloomy Swedish vibe. But here, the political stuff makes everything feel much more dangerous.

The transition to the Russian Revolution parts is super messy. One minute we are looking at quiet farm cows, and the next there are guys with big hats waving rifles around.

It doesn't really explain *why* Armas cares so much about the politics, he just seems angry at his dad. Honestly, joining a whole revolution just to spite your parents is a pretty wild move. 😅

Some of the background actors in the crowd scenes look incredibly confused. Like they were just told to stand there and look revolutionary but forgot their lines.

Things I jotted down while watching:

• The kitchen table looks sticky. I don't know why, but it just does.
• That one guy's mustache is so sharp it deserves its own credit in the intro.
• The music swells up at the weirdest times, like when someone is just opening a letter.

It’s not a masterpiece, and the ending feels like they ran out of film. But there is a raw, cold feeling to it that stays with you.