I AM THE NIGHT (2019) TV Review
1 Peter 2:16 - "For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil." (NLT)
Based on the true crime biography "One Day She'll Darken", I am the Night tells of the journey of Fauna Hodel, aka Pat (India Eisley), in her search for identity. Adopted by a washed-up singer and bitter divorcee, Pat struggles to live a normal life, but she is caught between two worlds, both in which she does not belong. Still, she craves normalcy and belonging. She yearns for a better life, and her adoptive mother is too engrossed in alcohol and bitterness to give it to her. So, Pat embarks on a dangerous journey to find her biological parents hoping they can provide the normalcy she craves.
Above all, she seeks to answer a question that is in human nature to ask, the beginning of finding our purpose:
WHO AM I?
What she finds instead is a world filled with obsession, corruption, and danger. Her mother is hidden away on an isolated island, and her grandfather is suspected for the infamous "Black Dahlia" murder case. Jay Singletary (Chris Pine) the obsessive reporter she meets following the case is the only person who seems to care about her welfare. He helps her find her mother, respects her personal space, and saves her from violent men on three separate occasions.
Psalm 45:7 - "You love justice and hate evil. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else." (NLT)
The assistance he provides is vital to the success of her search. However, the appalling truth she discovers is not enough to satisfy her need for belonging. In fact, it makes her appreciate the life she lives with her adoptive mother. In knowing the truth, she is able to make a fully informed decision about which family to claim as her own.
Though the identity of her family disappoints her, she finds another way to answer the question about her own identity in an unconventional way.
The most important part of her identity stares her directly in the face: intelligence. As supposed mixed-race, a young student, and a girl, people judge her mercilessly. They threaten her. They call her names. The most frequent name thrown at her is "stupid girl."
Her abusers could not be more wrong.
2 Corinthians 3:17 - "For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (NLT)
Pat is the smartest and most insightful one of all. She gives her elitist step-grandmother an impressive critique of her art. She even teaches herself self-defense by watching a single fight. Her instincts and intelligence save her. She solves an old mystery that no one else could, not even Jay Singletary.
Stupid girl? I think not.
It is that same intelligence that guides her to make the decision she needs to make in order to continue in her purpose. She ends her family's evil legacy and lives a joyful life. She chooses to return to her impoverished life with her friends and her adoptive family. She chooses to be a good person.
SEE MORE FACTS ABOUT THE STORY OF FAUNA HODEL HERE .
