The world can be a hopelessly confusing place when you are forced to navigate it on your own, especially if you exist within the half of the global population that is regularly subjected to judgment, bigotry and acts of blatant inequality. This is something that we find Beatrice Gibson exploring in detail in her fascinating feature directorial debut, At Night (French: En nuit), in which she emerges from nearly two decades of short-format filmmaking to develop this well-crafted experimental drama in which she combines fiction and documentary (a trait that has been present in many of her short films) to tell the story of six women in contemporary Paris, each one of them having their own existential quandaries to go along with their already challenging lives as members of the working class, where they are forced to navigate a social and cultural landscape in which they are supposedly equal to their male counterparts in legal terms, but yet constantly find themselves treated as secondary citizens purely based on their gender, something that they struggle to understand. The primary focus is one young woman who is seeking an abortion, her story being the emotional anchor that carries the entire film and serves as the starting point for some harrowing but impactful conversations. A delicately crafted drama that oscillates between unique styles and narrative elements, At Night is certainly the kind of film that lingers with the viewer, even when certain components can be somewhat challenging to embrace, which seems to be the entire purpose of the film based on how forthright it tends to be when discussing its core themes, and which is not at all interested in providing easy solutions to some of the more complicated questions that it poses throughout its brief but memorable running time.

Despite it being one of the oldest and most important social movements, with roots going back centuries, it still feels like we have such a long way to go when it comes to feminism, which has taken enormous strides over the decades and continues to prove to be a battle that is gradually being won by those who are on the right side of history, but yet remains quite contentious in certain circles, particularly in relation to how women continue to be treated as inferior, as well as having their bodies controlled by those in power. Gibson has constantly proven herself to be an artist who has a firm grasp on the collective cultural pulse, working intensely to tell the stories of communities that often stand at odds with the status quo, or who are frequently challenged for the very simple act of existing in a society where any deviation from conventions is seen as needless rebellion. At Night examines all of these complex ideas in intense detail, following half a dozen women in a city that is supposed to be the definition of modernity and progress, but somehow still contains specific elements that make their lives more complicated, preventing them from simply being able to live freely. Whether it is looking at bodily autonomy, abortion, the lives of sex workers or the challenges of being a woman in the workplace, the film weaves an intricate narrative across different perspectives (with the director herself being a character in the film, which is where we find some of the lines between fiction and documentary blurring in fascinating ways), each one contributing something unique to an already quite challenging and unconventional narrative that attempts to answer certain questions that seem to be so hopelessly out of the grasp of full understanding.

It is undeniable that At Night is an exceptionally dense and challenging film, albeit one that finds fascinating ways to explore its many complex themes without becoming needlessly overwrought. Part of the mystique of this film comes from how it combines harrowing, unfurnished observations on the trials and tribulations of modern women with some astonishing filmmaking practices. Gibson works alongside Ben Rivers, who is himself an incredible experimental filmmaker and here occupies the position of cinematographer, capturing the neon-soaked streets of contemporary Paris in vibrant detail, as well as taking note of the smaller details in the surroundings that would otherwise be overlooked by someone who didn’t possess the deep fascination with every nuance of the human condition. The experimental style may not always follow a logical order, and there are segments of this film where Gibson bounces liberally between perspectives (likely in an effort to prevent any one character from being positioned as the sole focus – there is a clear pattern to this film, but it is a primarily communal exercise in which each of these women occupy an equal role in the narrative), before settling on a particular idea, which she either exhausts to the point where we can fully understand what she is trying to communicate, or leaving to simmer in ambiguity without it becoming frustrating, which is most certainly not an easy achievement in any way. Both narratively and formally, At Night is a film that draws our curiosity, particularly in those moments where it becomes intentionally quite vague, since this is often where some of the most complex meaning tends to reside.

While it may not seem like the rousing treatise against the patriarchy that we would expect from many contemporary works of feminist literature, At Night is nonetheless a powerful exploration of what it is like to be a woman in the modern world. It can sometimes be quite impenetrable, and Gibson is certainly not someone who seems interested in abiding by either narrative or formal conventions, which can often lead to a more muddled set of ideas. However, once we realise that this is all likely by design, rather than a flaw of the film, the sooner it begins to make sense, and whether or not we want to focus on the clear manifesto at the heart of the film, or simply ruminate in the director’s effort to present a collection of experiences from women who represent much deeper social issues, the film remains a powerful artistic statement. It is a radical piece, not only in what it sets out to explore, but also in its efforts to be as direct as possible, allowing these women to speak about their struggles and existential quandaries without ever offering additional commentary where it wasn’t explicitly required. Gibson avoids any neat ideological frameworks or easily digestible statements of purpose, and rather draws our attention to the harsh truths that sit at the heart of this narrative, its refusal to simplify these issues feeling entirely appropriate for a story so concerned with exploring contemporary existence. We may leave with more questions than answers, but it would not be surprising to discover that this was entirely on purpose, an intentional choice made by the director as she set out to craft this thoughtful and poetic existential odyssey that forces the viewer (regardless of background or identity) to confront the uncomfortable reality that half of the world’s population continues to have to endure, an ongoing social struggle that tends to be fought in silence.