First published in 2016 by Demi Jong, this Science Fiction Short Film is made with college level video production values, and based on "Nightfall (1941)" by Isaac Asimov.
The movie begins with Eve stocking her shelves with new canned food, and trying to figure out what else she's going to need to protect herself against the end of the world. Her boyfriend is frustrated at her lack of attention, since this will be their last day together (he got a new job in another city and won't be back for six months).
They argue and listen to news broadcasts about the past two months. Once the electricity is turned off, the boyfriend is convinced of the upcoming apocalypse, and Eve has started to surrender to panic and despair. Things only get worse from there.
This eight-minute fan-made video can be viewed on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baNdQ1cukNg
Nightfall provides examples of:
- Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole: Eve mentions that her boyfriend printed out his boarding pass "last night", but the premise of the original story, "Nightfall (1941)", is that night only ever occurs during the eclipse that occurs for a few hours every two thousand, forty-nine years. (Listen at 1:22) If night occurs on a regular basis, then the eclipse shouldn't cause the panic/chaos that it does.
- Agent Mulder: Eve has fully committed to believing in the astronomers that predict nightfall and the end of the world. Her boyfriend disagrees with her opinion that there's a bunch of unknowable things "out there".
- Agent Scully: Eve's boyfriend is frustrated with her decision to treat the crazy astronomers with respect. That is, until events start happening as predicted.
- Alien Sky: Although the video doesn't show us, the news mentions the existence of their six suns, and the upcoming eclipse of Beta, the only sun left in their current sky.
- As You Know:
- The first broadcast Eve listens to is about the astronomers who barricaded themselves inside the royal observatory due to the upcoming eclipse. She was preparing for the apocalypse due to hearing similar broadcasts already.
- When the reporter begins talking about the stellar alignment that will cause an eclipse, she points out that her audience knows Beta is the only one of their six suns left in the sky right now.
- Big Blackout: After the news reports on how the eclipse is supposed to occur, the television suddenly goes black. Eve and her boyfriend realize off-screen that the electricity has been cut to their area, although they don't know why.
- Crazy Survivalist: The film opens with Eve packing and trying to figure out what she needs for the upcoming chaos.
- Creator Cameo: As typical for a college film, writer/co-producer Demi Jong appears in the film with a bit part; the news anchor giving Exposition in the background.
- Exactly Exty Years Ago: The news anchor in this adaptation reports that the astronomers have identified the eclipse as occurring every two millennium, rather than the more precisely accurate 2049 years. Probably a deliberate In-Universe invocation to play up the importance of the broadcast and keep things simple for their audience.
- Extreme Close-Up: Twice, the camera zooms in to Eve's face, until only part of her face can fit inside the frame. The first time both eyes are the focus, and the second time the focus is only on one eye. Both are done to facilitate showing the audience what Eve is looking at.
- Heroic BSoD: When the power goes out, Eve starts freaking out, clutching at a pillow and rocking gently while her boyfriend turns into the same Crazy Survivalist she had been minutes ago. Eventually her panic causes her to run outside, and she sees the night sky for the first time.
- Ignored Expert: The astronomers have warned everyone about the upcoming nightfall, when the only sun left in the sky will be eclipsed by the "dark body" that has been a satellite of their planet. Eve is one of the rare few who believes them, despite the objections of her aggravated boyfriend.
- Long-Distance Relationship: Eve and her boyfriend are preparing to separate for months due to his new job. The boyfriend is upset that they're going to spend their last day together packing instead of being together.
- No Name Given: Eve's boyfriend, despite having almost as much screen-time as Eve, is never named. The credits refer to him only as The Boyfriend.
- Primal Fear: As the timing of the eclipse approaches, Eve believes the darkness will crush her, growing panicked and nihilistic. As it grows darker, she's sobbing uncontrollably, and when her boyfriend approaches her with lit matches, she pushes past him to go outside, where she stares up at the Stars.
- Reflective Eyes:
- During the early news broadcast, Eve turns to the television and the audience gets an Extreme Close-Up of Eve's face, showing the news anchor on the television reflected in Eve's eyes.
- When night occurs, Eve looks up at the star-filled sky, and the camera zooms in for an Extreme Close-Up where millions of stars are reflected in her eyes.
- Total Eclipse of the Plot: The characters stop arguing for long enough to hear the reporter explain how the six suns will be in alignment behind a newly-discovered non-luminous body.
