Earlier this year Anthony Hopkins gave one of the performances of his career in The Father. The film tackled the horrible topic of dementia and earned some well deserved awards. Argentine filmmaker Gonzalo Calzada’s latest film, Nocturna Side A – The Great Old Man’s Night, creates a similar viewing sensation, although Calzada filters it through the world of the supernatural. Nocturna Side A unfolds, as the name suggests, across one night as it tells the story of a one hundred year old man, Ulises (Pepe Soriano). Ulises begins to reflect on his long life and it quickly becomes clear that he is a man battling regrets. As ghosts from the past merge with the present, Ulises realises that he might not have long left and puts a last minute plan for redemption into action.
With the entire film resting on the shoulders of Ulises, it is a relief that Pepe Soriano was Calzada’s choice for the role. Soriano is incredible here, easily rivalling Hopkins, as he adds layer upon layer to Ulises. The actor is compelling in the role, expertly balancing confusion and haunted. His performance has been thoughtfully planned out with Soriano taking the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster along Ulises’ journey. The subtleness and stillness of his performance is exceptional It is guaranteed that there will not be a dry eye in the house once the end credits begin, thanks in no small part to the excellent performance of this lead actor.
For the first hour Nocturna Side A is a solid and steady drama, but then the tone shifts and strange occurrences begin to creep in. The slow build is worth it as the viewer needs time to connect with Ulises before events begin to get weird. Lines between time periods become fluid as Ulises converses with his younger self and bride; this distortion generates confusion for the viewer, but just as in The Father, it painfully highlights the instability of a broken memory. There’s a haunting and tragic story at the core of Nocturna Side A, one made even sadder due to Ulises’ clear mental health problems. Films are always more powerful when there is an element of truth to them and Nocturna Side A is a brilliant example of how affecting this can be. The score also works at driving home the emotional impact of the story. Primarily string driven, with the occasional twinkling of piano keys, it sets up the mood and tone of each scene, building upon the acting to ensure that everyone is pushed into a big teardrop puddle come the final scene.
The title referring to a ‘side A’ is not merely an arty gimmick, Calzada already has the film’s follow-up, Nocturna Side B – Where Elephants Go to Die, in the can. This second film is rumoured to explore the events of Nocturna Side A from the perspective of other characters, making a viewing of each film result in a fully rounded story. Given how emotionally devastating Nocturna Side A is, Nocturna Side B poses a daunting prospect. However, with Side A this strong, there won’t be many that opt to not revisit this world and its performances again.
Nostalgia, regret, and pathos sing strong in Gonzalo Calzada’s haunting tale of one man’s life. A film ruled by the performance of Pepe Soriano, Nocturna Side A will give your tear ducts a workout, but is worth every drop.
Nocturna Side A – The Great Old Man’s Night
Summary
Haunting, heartbreaking, and expertly acted, Nocturna Side A is an easy rival to The Father for the crown of most emotive movie of the year.
Nocturna Side A – The Great Old Man’s Night was reviewed at Arrow Video FrightFest 2021.
