Waiting Up to Meet the Wolf (2024)

• 79%
• 2024
• Anthony Carr

Waiting Up to Meet the Wolf is a quiet call to action for humanity to reverse the rapid decline of dark skies, told through personal memories of the dark from the director's childhood and adult life. Coalescing the past, present and future, the film weaves these stories around those of the Moonlight Tower, a short-lived 19th century lighting technology. The film's day as night ambient audio track, visual shakiness and interruptive transitions are designed to create a slightly off-kilter viewing experience, echoing the widespread confusion or "nocturnal jet-lag" felt by much of the animal kingdom when darkness is lost or altered. Shot on 16mm, the film was hand-processed using homemade eco-reversal techniques that complemented the subject matter; from charcoal development to car headlight exposure. The film owes its very existence to that which it laments, the presence of unwanted and at times uncontrolled light.