"What Happens in the Dark" is a solid effort from the Youngstown film community. The cinematography is great. The acting is good (especially by the two lead actors). The locations are nice. And the ending is shockingly powerful and cathartic. The story's concept is neat; the focus is on a man who seemingly has it all but hides a darkness that ends up ruining his facade. There were some subplots that weren't addressed and a missed opportunity (or two) that could have added more tension to the story. One of them involves the main character Trevor accidentally shooting a friend during a botched robbery. It was strange that the police did not show up to ask Trevor questions, see him as a person of interest, or even a bit where he feels guilty over this incident. Any one of these options could have added more flare and excitement to the story. Other scenes could have been cut to tighten up the film's length, specifically the many drone shots of downtown Youngstown and a few moments where characters are shown simply doing day-to-day activities. I understand going for realism and a bit of the "fly on the wall" approach in filmmaking, but it felt really unnecessary for this kind of movie. Some of the audio could have been sweetened and the music was a bit loud at times. Overall, a decent contribution to the independent film scene. I'm looking forward to seeing what else comes out of the Youngstown area.
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