That Night 2013

Runtime

19 mins

Language

English

Directed by

Chris Foggin

Made by

Kleos Productions

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That Night Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for That Night (2013). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

In 1961 Long Island, a curious 10-year-old named Alice Bloom becomes infatuated with her neighbor, 17-year-old Sheryl O’Connor Alexandra Roach. She watches her from her bedroom window, trying to copy every detail—from the perfume she wears to the record she listens to—fascinated by the warmth Sheryl seems to receive from her father, something Alice’s own father never shows her.

Alice’s fixation leads her to observe Sheryl closely as she goes about her days. One day at the bowling alley, Alice’s friends mock her, and a confused, charged energy blooms when Sheryl arrives with a group of guys attempting to win her affection. Seemingly innocent and moral, Sheryl rejects their advances and, in the same moment, meets Rick James Corden, the counter boy who becomes a focal point of her attention. As Alice shadows Sheryl’s every move, the quiet tension between Sheryl and Rick begins to deepen.

A page at the desk, a call, and then devastating news: Sheryl’s father has died. At the funeral, Sheryl is visibly upset, and that evening, when she returns her bowling shoes to the alley, she breaks down over her loss. As she and Rick talk, he walks her home and they share their first kiss, an intimate moment that Alice witnesses with a mix of awe and heartbreak. The next day, Rick returns with his gang, and they escort Sheryl to the beach, where they share oysters and tequila, and Sheryl pours out her heart about her father’s death. They spend the entire day and night together, lost in a fragile, newfound closeness.

Yet the relationship faces stern disapproval. Sheryl’s mother forbids her from seeing Rick, and the neighborhood begins to gossip. Despite the pressure, Sheryl refuses to listen to her mother’s warnings. Meanwhile, a bond grows between Sheryl and Alice: while babysitting Alice, Sheryl offers hard‑earned wisdom about boys, and Alice volunteers to help her sneak out to see Rick. The trio spends much of the night together, venturing into seedy places like dive bars and under the boardwalk, and Alice even records a booth‑record detailing everything that happens that night. The circle tightens as Alice continues to help Sheryl and Rick hide their clandestine relationship.

Tensions mount when Alice’s father warns her to stay away from the older Rick. Sheryl, meanwhile, discovers she is pregnant, and her mother sends her to an unwed mothers’ home hundreds of miles away. Rick repeatedly calls Sheryl’s house, only to be met with her mother’s insistence that he stop. The moment culminates when Rick and his gang drive up to Sheryl’s house, pleading to speak with her. A crowd gathers as a heated confrontation unfolds; Sheryl’s mother declares that Sheryl is gone and orders Rick to leave. Refusing to back away, Rick pushes past the door, and a brawl erupts between his group and the neighborhood men. Rick spends a week in jail, and the fallout leaves Alice withdrawn and feeling increasingly isolated.

Driven by a stubborn hope, Rick finds Alice beneath the boardwalk and they talk. He agrees to drive upstate with her to find Sheryl at the unwed mothers’ home. With renewed determination, Sheryl agrees to sneak out at midnight to meet Rick. The two reunite with Sheryl’s resolve wavering between love and a practical future, and Rick offers a glimmer of possibility in the form of an engagement ring, which he suggests she pawn if they need money or options.

Alice questions what happened to true love, and Sheryl admits that Alice is still young and may not understand. Yet the hope endures, and the plan to run away together persists in Alice’s mind. Sheryl, however, insists that she cannot leave her family behind. As Sheryl’s bus departs for Long Island, she and Rick share a final, quiet moment of embrace, leaving Alice to grapple with the ache of a friendship and love she cannot fully possess.

Returning home, Alice finds her parents relieved to have her back, and she carries with her the truth she learned: despite the gossip swirling around Sheryl, a postcard later informs her that Sheryl and Rick are well on their way to the West Coast and thriving in their new life together. The film closes on a note of cautious, bittersweet resilience, leaving Alice to reconcile her vivid memories with the future she will build.

That Night Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of That Night (2013) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Alice's fixation on Sheryl begins

In 1961 on Long Island, 10-year-old Alice Bloom fixates on her older neighbor Sheryl O'Connor and begins watching her every move. She copies Sheryl's habits—from perfumes to records—fascinated by the warmth Sheryl receives from her father, a warmth Alice longs for at home.

1961 Long Island, NY

Sheryl at the bowling alley stirs jealousy and curiosity

Alice's friends mock her at the bowling alley, and Sheryl arrives with a group of guys trying to win her affection. Sheryl meets Rick, the counter boy who will become central to her attention. The moment hints at a growing tension between Sheryl's life and Alice's gaze.

1961, daytime Bowling alley, Long Island

Sheryl and Rick share a first kiss, witnessed by Alice

While Rick engages Sheryl, they share their first kiss, an intimate moment that Alice witnesses with a mix of awe and heartbreak. The attraction deepens and sets the stage for a forbidden connection. Place: Outside the bowling alley. Time: That evening, 1961.

That evening, 1961 Outside the bowling alley

Tragic news arrives: Sheryl's father dies

A page at the desk, a phone call, and devastating news confirm Sheryl's father has died. The family mourns as Sheryl grapples with loss and the sudden upheaval in her world. Place: Funeral home / church, Long Island. Time: Funeral day.

Funeral day Funeral home / church, Long Island

Funeral, then Sheryl's breakdown at the bowling alley

At the funeral, Sheryl is visibly upset, and later that evening she returns her bowling shoes to the alley and breaks down over her father's death. The emotion binds Sheryl and Rick in a fragile comfort. Place: Bowling alley. Time: That evening, same day as funeral.

That evening, same day as funeral Bowling alley

A beach day with Rick where Sheryl opens up

Rick escorts Sheryl to the beach, where they share oysters and tequila and Sheryl pours out her heart about her father's passing. They spend the entire day and night together, growing closer in a fragile bond. Place: The beach. Time: The next day after the funeral.

The next day after the funeral The beach

Mother's disapproval and neighborhood gossip

Sheryl's mother forbids her from seeing Rick, and the neighborhood begins to gossip about the pair. The pressure escalates as Sheryl resists her mother's warnings and clings to her relationship with Rick. Place: Long Island neighborhood. Time: Shortly after the beach day.

Shortly after the beach day Long Island neighborhood

Alice and Sheryl grow closer; the late-night conspiracy

A bond forms as Sheryl babysits Alice and offers hard-earned wisdom about boys. Alice volunteers to help Sheryl sneak out to see Rick. Together, they roam seedy places—dive bars and under the boardwalk—as Alice records a booth-record detailing the night.

Over the following nights Various Long Island locales

Warning from Alice's father; pregnancy revealed

Alice's father warns her to stay away from Rick as tensions rise around Sheryl's secret. Soon, Sheryl discovers she is pregnant, and her mother sends her to an unwed mothers’ home hundreds of miles away. Place: Alice's home; unwed mothers' home. Time: Weeks after the earlier events.

Weeks after the earlier events Alice's home; unwed mothers' home

Confrontation at Sheryl's home; Rick's arrest

Rick and his gang drive to Sheryl's house to plead with her, sparking a crowd and a fierce confrontation. They clash with neighborhood men, and Rick spends a week in jail as a fallout from the incident. Place: Sheryl's home, Long Island. Time: Following the confrontation day.

Following the confrontation day Sheryl's home, Long Island

Alice and Rick's renewed determination

After the jail, Rick finds Alice beneath the boardwalk and they plan to drive upstate to find Sheryl. A glimmer of hope returns as they prepare for a possible reunion. Place: Boardwalk; upstate. Time: After imprisonment.

After imprisonment Boardwalk; upstate

Sheryl agrees to a midnight escape

Sheryl agrees to sneak out at midnight to meet Rick, and the two reunite, with Rick offering an engagement ring as a symbol of possible futures. Place: Near the unwed mothers' home. Time: Midnight, shortly after the jailbreak.

Midnight Near the unwed mothers' home

Love faces a practical choice; Sheryl stays with family

Sheryl admits that Alice is still young and may not understand, but she cannot leave her family behind. The plan to run away persists in Alice's mind, even as Sheryl decides against leaving. Place: Upstate and Long Island. Time: Just before departure.

Just before departure Upstate and Long Island

Sheryl's bus departs; final embrace

As Sheryl's bus departs for Long Island, she and Rick share a final, quiet moment of embrace. Alice watches, heart aching, as a friendship and love she cannot fully possess slips away. Place: Bus stop near unwed mothers' home. Time: Departure time just before midnight.

Departure time Bus stop near unwed mothers' home

Postcard confirms Sheryl and Rick's new life

Back home with her parents, Alice learns from a postcard that Sheryl and Rick are thriving on the West Coast. The film closes on a bittersweet note, with Alice holding onto memories while planning her own future. Place: Long Island; West Coast. Time: After departure.

After departure Long Island; West Coast

That Night Characters

Explore all characters from That Night (2013). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Sheryl O'Connor (Alexandra Roach)

Seventeen-year-old Sheryl becomes the focal point of desire and conflict after forming a forbidden bond with Rick. She navigates maternal restrictions and social rumors while wrestling between a hopeful future and familial duty. Her pregnancy intensifies the pressures around love, loyalty, and leaving home.

💘 Romantic longing 🏠 Family pressure 💪 Resilience

Rick (James Corden)

A charming counter boy drawn to Sheryl, he leads a group that encloses the lovers in danger from neighborhood judgment. His loyalty to Sheryl grows as circumstances push them toward a risky plan to be together. He embodies impulsive romance tempered by the realities of social consequences.

💘 Romantic devotion 🔥 Risk-taking ⚖️ Consequences

Alice Bloom

A curious ten-year-old observer who records events and pursues truth in a world where adults hide their complexities. Her bond with Sheryl and her fascination with Rick drive her to witness and document a forbidden romance. The experience shapes her understanding of love, loss, and the price of growing up.

🧒 Curiosity 👀 Witness to secrets 💭 Growth

That Night Settings

Learn where and when That Night (2013) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

1961

The story unfolds in 1961, a time of conservative social mores on the cusp of the 1960s. Life centers on family reputation, neighborhood scrutiny, and strict rules about romance and pregnancy. The setting uses the late summer atmosphere of a coastal suburb to heighten the tension between desire and duty.

Location

Long Island, New York, Upstate New York

Set on Long Island in 1961, the film follows a close-knit seaside suburb where bowling alleys, beaches, and boardwalks frame the daily rhythms. The community is intimate and quick to gossip, with reputations shaped by rigid expectations. The journey also takes the characters upstate to an unwed mothers' home, highlighting the geographic pull of escape and consequence.

🏝️ Seaside community 🏠 Suburban dynamics 🗣️ Gossip-driven society

That Night Themes

Discover the main themes in That Night (2013). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

💘

Forbidden Love

A tender but perilous romance forms between Sheryl and Rick, challenged by age gaps, parental disapproval, and community judgment. Their relationship becomes a flashpoint for desire, loyalty, and the costs of pursuing happiness. The story tracks how love collides with social boundaries and the longing for a different future.

🌱

Coming of Age

Alice watches the adults with a wary, growing curiosity as she navigates her own awakening. The film traces her shift from passive observer to active participant in a decision she cannot control. Innocence is tested by witnessing love, loss, and the first seeds of responsibility.

🗣️

Gossip

Word travels fast in the close-knit community, turning private moments into public spectacle. The rumor mill drives characters to mask truths and protect appearances, often at personal cost. Observation becomes a tool that shapes choices and fates.

🏠

Family & Consequences

Sheryl's pregnancy and her mother's reaction reveal how family duties and obligation govern individual desires. The film explores the pressure to conform, the consequences of defiance, and the fragile bonds that hold a family together under strain. Community judgment magnifies the stakes of intimate decisions.

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That Night Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of That Night (2013). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In the summer of 1961, a quiet Long Island neighborhood glows under the soft hum of suburban routine. The streets are lined with modest homes, freshly painted picket fences, and the occasional buzz of a vinyl record drifting from an open window. Beneath the calm, an undercurrent of restless desire pulses through the evenings, when porch lights flicker and the scent of the sea mingles with the aroma of home‑cooked meals. The film captures this slice of Americana with a lingering, nostalgic lens, inviting viewers to feel both the comfort and the subtle tension of a world poised on the brink of change.

Alice Bloom is a curious ten‑year‑old whose world revolves around the window across the street, where she watches the life of the older girl next door. Sheryl O’Connor, seventeen, moves through the same streets with a blend of confidence and uncertainty, drawing both admiration and envy from the younger observer. Their unlikely connection blossoms through whispered observations, shared moments in familiar haunts, and the unspoken longing that bridges the gap between childhood innocence and teenage yearning. As summer stretches into night, the pair find themselves pulled into a whirl of whispered secrets, fleeting glances, and an unarticulated promise that the darkness might hold more than daylight ever could. The town’s quiet rhythm hides an undercurrent of whispers, hinting that any deviation from the expected path could ripple through the close‑knit community.

Against this backdrop, a charismatic presence named Rick drifts into the orbit, adding another layer of intrigue to the delicate dance of affection and rebellion. The tone stays grounded in the gentle melancholy of first loves and the fragile friendships that blossom only under the cover of night. Warm, sun‑kissed visuals soften the edges of the characters’ inner turbulence, while a subtle, jazz‑inflected soundtrack underscores the film’s wistful mood. The story promises a night where boundaries blur, leaving behind a lingering sense of wonder about the possibilities that flicker just beyond the porch light.