• Release year: 2024
• Director: Jonathan Kent.
• Producers: Carolyn Marks Blackwood, Gleb Fetisov, Bill Kenwright, Redmond Morris, Gabrielle Tana.
• Screenplay by: David Lindsay-Abaire.
• Cinematography by: Mark Wolf.
• Music by: Ilan Eshkeri.

Shotgun Commentary: a dark yet gorgeous lesson in acting.

Review

Long Day’s Journey Into Night is the second cinematic adaptation made of the homonymous play by Eugene O’Neill. The mother of a family of four struggles with her mental health as she is forced into an unwanted lifestyle. As for her husband and sons, they each have their own demons, mostly bred by generational trauma and patriarchal expectations.

Unhappy wife

The protagonist and main attraction of the story is clearly Mary Tyrone. She was played by Katharine Hepburn in the 1962 version, and by Jessica Lange in this one. It is no coincidence that only great actresses are cast for this character, as it is an incredibly demanding role. Mary hates the way her life has turned up. She resents the one big decision she made when she was too young to know any better. The one that changed the course of her life forever because of love.

As a result, she feels stuck. Living a life in what she sees as a prison where she can’t speak freely of her thoughts and feelings, but rather is constantly asked to keep quiet. She is lonely and misunderstood, which leads to a whole arrange of trauma that comes out quite forcefully, causing damage to her and her family.

Jessica Lange is absolutely brilliant in this role, giving you yet another glimpse at her vast talent. Every scene is riveting thanks to her and the mystery that accompanies her character. An unknown that is slowly unravelled throughout the feature.

Unhappy life

As for Mary’s husband James, played by Eddie Harris, he is his own kind of storm. An Irish brought up in hardship with more baggage than years of age who projects his own trauma onto his family, making any connection with them virtually impossible. Harris is flawless in this role, accent included, serving as a key piece in the story of their home.

Closing the family crew are sons Jamie (Ben Foster) and Edmund (Colin Morgan). The first being a good-for-nothing loser and the poorest example you can have of an older brother, and the second the artistic and smart but probably soon-to-be-dead younger son.

Foster gets very little time on screen, but he makes great use of it, delivering a tragic character whom you might not necessarily like, but you can’t help but feel for. As for Morgan, his portrayal of Edmund is quite spot-on. He does get awfully close to overdoing it at times, but ultimately manages to stay within course.

Like a painting

Other than the acting and an interesting exploration of mental health and sexism, the film could just as easily be set at an art exhibition, with or without any sounds, as the imagery is positively breathtaking.

Despite it being a coloured feature, the fog and constant greyness of the Connecticut coast make it seem like a black and white movie. This works wonders to highlight Mary’s state of confusion and suffocation. The fog keeps her from seeing further than a few metres away from the house, offering that The Others (2001) type of situation where the woman is essentially tied down to the household she runs.

Additionally, there don’t seem to be many colours inside the house itself, only an array of beiges and greys, a colour palette that supports Mary’s thoughts about the house as a dead thing rather than an actual home. Still, both the inside and the outside are incredibly beautiful in their own melancholic way.

All in all, Long day’s Journey Into Night is a depressing, but fascinating, exploration of the human condition and family dynamics. Even if you don’t care much for such themes, if you enjoy good acting, that alone should be a good enough reason to watch it as Lange and Harris deliver jaw-dropping performances. Not to mention that this is a must-watch for all the fans of angsty narratives and aesthetics.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Never let people silence you from voicing your feelings.
• Painkillers are not the answer for psychological pain.
• Alcohol is also not the answer for psychological pain.

What’s your take? Have you watched Long Day’s Journey Into the Night? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀