The Vast of Night 2019

The film opens by setting the stage as an episode of a “Twilight Zone” style show called “Paradox Theater,” immediately immersing viewers in a mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere. The story transports us to the 1950s in Cayuga, New Mexico, where the quiet town begins to unravel with strange and inexplicable occurrences.

It all begins on the evening of a local high school basketball game. Radio DJ Everett Sloan (/actor/jake-horowitz), known for his engaging voice and curiosity about the unknown, is called away from his post to handle an unusual issue under the bleachers, only to be told that the request was for Emmett. Everett pairs up with Fay Crocker (/actor/sierra-mccormick), a switchboard operator, as they prepare recordings to practice voice projection and conduct impromptu interviews with game attendees. Their camaraderie and youthful enthusiasm set a relatable tone, capturing small-town life in mid-century America.

Later, as the game begins and Fay resumes her duties managing the switchboard, she detects a strange, distorted noise crackling over the radio. At first, it seems like just technical interference, but soon Fay receives a call from a caller claiming to see a massive, tornado-like figure in the skies near her land, stirring feelings of unease and curiosity. The disturbance’s mysterious nature grows as Fay tries multiple times to contact friends and relatives, but each attempt ends abruptly with disconnections. Desperate for answers, she contacts Everett during his broadcast, and he plays the eerie sound live on the air, hoping someone will recognize it.

Their investigation deepens when they receive a call from Billy (/actor/bruce-davis), a veteran who recounts a haunting story from his time in the military. Billy describes being taken to an unknown desert location along with other soldiers, where they witness something enormous inside a hole they had been working on. He reveals that he and others fell ill afterward—an illness that the military seemed suspiciously quick to cover up. Billy suspects racial bias played a role in their treatment, believing many of the soldiers he served with, mostly Black and Mexican, were ignored or dismissed because no one believed them or listened to their stories. Billy also mentions that they recently received signal tapes from someone at Walker Base, which played the same strange noise they’ve been hearing, but he destroyed his tape out of fear.

Fay and Everett decide to delve deeper—heading to the local library with a stolen car to obtain tapes that could shed more light on the mystery. They gather several recordings and play them back, hearing the same disturbing noise. As Everett broadcasts the tapes on his show, the lights flicker and go out all of a sudden. Fear intensifies as Fay begins to panic, rushing back toward the station while Everett drives her home. Meanwhile, the calls flood in from townspeople claiming to see strange objects and phenomena in the sky. Among these callers is Mabel Blanche (/actor/gail-cronauer), who shares a heartbreaking story of her son, Hollis, who spoke a strange phrase as a child and disappeared at the age of four. She believes her son was abducted, and she warns that the mysterious craft in the sky may be targeting the town, knowing the stories that connect her to the unknown.

The story then takes a suspenseful turn as Fay and Everett visit Mabel’s house, where she recounts her painful past and her suspicions about abductions. She pleads with them to take her to see the craft, longing for answers about her missing son, but they are unable to fulfill her request. Returning home, Fay quickly checks in on her baby sister, Maddy, reassuring herself that she is safe, but her cousin Ethel (/actor/brianna-beasley) is missing—having gone off with her boyfriend after claiming to have seen something strange in the sky.

Driven by a mixture of fear and curiosity, Fay and Everett are soon joined by Bertsie (/actor/cheyenne-barton) and Gerald (/actor/mark-banik). They embark on a tense journey out of town to observe the mysterious object, playing a recording of Mabel speaking in a foreign language along the way. The group’s trip nearly ends in disaster when Gerald, exhausted or distracted, falls asleep at the wheel, risking a crash that prompts the kids to flee into the woods for safety. Everett and Fay share a moment of solace, while examining the burnt ground and trees, evidence of something extraordinary and possibly otherworldly.

Suddenly, they hear a faint humming noise and see a colossal UFO approaching. Despite their initial fear, Everett’s curiosity overcomes him as he steps closer to the craft—an enormous, awe-inspiring structure that defies the laws of nature. Fay protests but is overwhelmed by a gust of wind and the overwhelming presence of the craft, which reveals itself in all its gigantic glory. The scene culminates with the characters gazing upward in disbelief and fear, as the craft envelops them in a powerful gust of wind, leaving a lingering sense of unresolved mystery.

In the aftermath, the town seemingly reverts to normal as everyone disperses and the radio station powers back on. The final scene echoes the beginning, with the empty field and the only remaining artifact— a lone tape recorder left behind in a pile of dust. The story leaves viewers with an unsettling feeling of uncertainty, emphasizing the enduring mystery of what truly happened and what might still be out there beyond human understanding.

Throughout the film, themes of paranoia, the unknown, and the untapped depths of human experience are woven into a compelling narrative that asks more questions than it answers. It’s a haunting reflection on the limits of knowledge and the silent stories of those who are often ignored, all wrapped in a nostalgic yet unnerving portrayal of mid-century America’s encounter with the inexplicable.