If you think that a belittled lonely man, a blonde mysterious woman, murder, police and a destined love are elements are only meant to be found in film noir then you must watch “Night Accident”. The man, who is an old overweight drunk has reached the end of his rope in a remote village on the shores of a vast and beautiful lake in Kyrgyzstan, and the woman a silent specter who seems to have been plucked from nowhere and thrown into the old man’s house. The woman’s beauty and strangeness juxtaposed against the backdrop of the house is both haunting and beautiful. She can be a reason to dust off the windows of the house or a threat standing over the man with a pointed gun. Either way, the man’s failed, decrepit existence gains new life with the presence of the woman. This strange relationship creates an unconventional story.
In this dramatic story, small intimidate details play a crucial role. The way the woman’s wounded leg is treated and dressed carefully with egg yolks and an old rag. Each and every empty bottle and rotted fruit that are thrown out. The cloth and hat the man buys for the woman. The sound of the wave from the lake. They all play a role.
For this reason, objects also play a key role in the film. The film’s composition and the painterly quality it employs in lighting its spaces reminds one of Cezanne’s Apples. In this way, the small old house, thanks to its beautiful portrayal, delights with its calmness and beauty, it creates a paradise for the characters who inhabit it, not losing this tranquility is what keeps the audience in suspense. The film’s theme emphasizes the loneliness and brutality of modern life, and although the temporary presence of the woman gives the old man renewed life and passion, once she is gone the only calming presence left is the lake.
What makes the sad and depressed life of these lonely characters bearable is the calm tone and subtle humor of the film’s exotic situations. From the man’s job (digging graves and septic holes) to his unique traditional hat, which gives his slapdash look quite a particular dignified air. The wrath the girl brings unleashes the men who try to rape her is portrayed almost in slapstick. The scenes showing her riding her motorcycle are reminiscent of Hindi films. The same movies that like the films opening song “Jimmy Jimmy” are part of the man’s nostalgia.
