Orion is afraid of everything. Mostly darkness. One evening, it takes the form of an imposing but friendly entity called Noir. She takes on the challenge of overcoming the boy’s unhealthy fear by making him discover the wonders of the night.
You don’t judge a book by its cover. The same should be done for a film and its trailer. That ofOrion and the Dark (Orion’s nightin French version) is little representative of the brilliant and touching work taken from the book of the same name by Emma Yarlett.
First, it focuses almost exclusively on the dynamic between Orion (the voice of Jacob Tremblay) and Noir (that of Paul Walter Hauser), like that of Aladdin and the Genie. However, it is not as entertaining as the Disney classic. Among other things because Noir is a bit boring – that’s not what Robin Williams wants. Inhabited by the sadness of being a source of fear for so many young people – and not so young people – the character nevertheless has a surprising depth. In addition to an inferiority complex compared to Light.
Orion’s anguish is even more skillfully depicted. The first 10 minutes are devoted to the hilarious enumeration of the 11-year-old boy’s many fears. He documents them in a drawing book, which allows for variation in the animation style, which is otherwise rather simplistic, without being bad – the work of the Paris and Bangalore branches of the Mikros studio. His fears are excessive, but the sum of his fears means that his fears represent those of children of different ages. His distrust, not to say his terror, of Black gradually fades as he gains confidence in himself and in others.
Because there is not just Black. The rest of the night team is made up of Sleep, Quietude, Insomnia, Funny Noises and Sweet Reverie. They add humor, camaraderie and nuance to the story written by the brilliant Charlie Kaufman. The screenwriter of Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Anomalisa And I’m Thinking of Ending Things – he also directed the last two – enhances the original story with a powerful emotional dimension which testifies to the important role of parents in managing their children’s fears.
On Netflix
Animation
Orion and the Dark (V.F.: Orion’s night)
Sean Charmatz
With the voices of Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, Angela Bassett
1:30 a.m. On Netflix