Renuka Jeyapalan’s Stay the Night is a melodramatic romantic comedy of two forlorn strangers who find comfort in each other through the streets of Montreal. The movie is similar to Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise trilogy, in terms of two strangers going through everyday interactions. Since Before Sunrise, there haven’t been a lot of movies that introduce a premise of two strangers meeting but Stay the Night brings a fresh perspective to the genre.
We’ve all had rough nights, but when Grace (Andrea Bang) doesn’t get the promotion she has worked so hard for, she decides to seize the day. Her roommate Joni (Humberly González) worries that she isn’t sociable enough and prefers to stay at home. Later that night, Grace joins her roommate at the club and meets Carter (Joe Scarpellino), a professional hockey player benched for the rest of the season. After an altercation outside the club, Carter jumps into Grace’s cab and they end up driving to his hotel. She decides to follow him with the intention of having a one-night stand with him, but it goes horribly wrong. Instead, they decide to take a walk and hop from one location to another talking about their past experiences and relationships in the streets of Montreal.
Stay the Night does not attempt to reinvent the genre. Jeyapalan’s script is simple and creates a realistic world where the two characters are discussing real-life issues. Grace and Carter’s interactions are always in intimate locations where they discuss interesting subjects. In one early scene, Carter and Grace talk about why she never ate a burger, and in this context, that word is used as code for losing her virginity. However, in the scene, both of these characters are guarded and their personalities haven’t been revealed to each other yet
In terms of the chemistry between Bang and Scarpellino, it sizzles. Both of them shine when they are exchanging personal information about their lives. Bang’s portrayal of someone who is conflicted to step out of her comfort zone and take risks is perfectly balanced with Scarpellino’s charming and vulnerable performance. The movie spends a considerable amount of time digging into Scarpellino’s character’s family issues and where his passion comes from, whereas Bang’s character is more open to talk about her feelings. Bang and Scarpellino’s performances are pleasant and they balance each other.
Stay the Night is a slow burn, melodramatic movie. For audiences who prefer Linklater’s Before Sunrise trilogy, where characters hop from one location to another as they exchange pleasant interactions about their fears, secrets, and hopes, Jeyapalan’s movie might be perfect for them. A charming movie with the idea and premise set perfectly, Stay the Night’s strongest aspects would be the cinematography by Conor Fisher and Jeyapalan’s brilliant storytelling. In an unmoving city of still images and bright lights, a true connection between strangers is hard to find, but Grace and Carter’s happenstance shows a different side to that story, and even though it’s brief, these changes can be life-changing.
