Tribeca 2018: The Goodnight Show

A world-ending asteroid hurtles over Samuel's bus in THE GOODNIGHT SHOW. Photo credit: Henry Davis.

With an impending doom from an asteroid on the horizon, The Goodnight Show offers a touch of sentimentality.

The Goodnight Show is far from the doom that was Armageddon or Deep Impact.  I can go on and on naming all the films in which an asteroid collides with earth and we’d be here all day.  This short film, directed by Charlie Schwan, is something else.  While there is an asteroid on path to collision with the Earth in 1978, there’s also a high school teenager searching for the loss of innocence in the final hours.

Learning that the world is set to end, Samuel (Spencer Flynn) has one last chance to leave his legacy in a very short life.  He sets off for a party where he reveals his feelings for Jessica (Josie Schwan) only to be turned down.  The night takes him to a strip club where he has the epiphany of spending his final hours with Bella (Ellie Dubin).

Spencer Flynn has been around for the better part of a decade performing in shorts but keep an eye out for Ellie Dubin.  In a few minutes of screen time, the actress displays the potential to make her mark as a star.

I like the direction that screenwriters Charlie Schwan and Wyatt Miller take their script.  The film has a touch of the sentimentality that we’ve seen previously in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.  While there is a glimpse of the asteroid touching done, it’s done so in a way that doesn’t bring all the doom and gloom of the aforementioned disaster pics.  There’s a sense in watching the film that the film was written and edited with the music in mind.

The Goodnight Show is a film that reminds us to make our mark on the world before its too late.

DIRECTOR:  Charlie Schwan
SCREENWRITERS:  Charlie Schwan and Wyatt Miller
CAST:  Spencer Flynn, Ellie Dubin, Josie Schwan

An official selection of the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, The Goodnight Show premiered in the Loose Ends shorts program.

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.

Leave a Reply