In Cayuga, New Mexico at some point in the 1950’s a strange sound can be heard on the radio waves. Switchboard Operator Fay (Sierra McCormick) and Radio DJ Everett (Jake Horowitz) decide to investigate. 

Co-writer and director Andrew Paterson has delivered a fantastic debut film in The Vast Of Night that may well have slipped under the radar some what. The ninety-one minute film all happens in real time in one evening whilst the majority of the small town of Cayuga are at a basketball game. The story is framed as an episode of “Paradox Theatre”, a show that apes The Twilight Zone which is where the town takes its name from. 

The story itself is tense and unfolds via conversations between our lead duo and callers to the station discussing the sounds. It’s 1950’s setting allows it to tap into the Cold War paranoia of the time with Everett musing as to whether this could be the Russians and at one point jokingly asking Fay to recite McCarthyism denouncements of the communist party into her microphone. 

The writing, direction and editing are incredibly good at making what could be a static conversational piece into an exciting story. The “Paradox Theatre” theme allows them to switch into 1950’s black and white framing at particular intervals to break the film into chapters and the director knows when to move his camera and when to keep it still. I’m still taken by two completely opposite types of scene in the film. One where the camera roves between the switchboard, basketball and radio locations of the town and the other where it remains perfectly still as Fay operates the switchboard taking and connecting calls. And our two young leads are exceptional as well, perfectly fitting in the era and holding our attention throughout. 

It’s story beats may be similar to the likes of Close Encounters or War of the Worlds but it knows that to be the case, even calling the Cayuga radio station WOTW in homage. 

A fantastic engrossing story marking out all involved as ones to watch.