Star Rating:

The Overnighters

Director: Jesse Moss

Actors: Jay Reinke, Keegan Edwards

Release Date: Friday 17th October 2014

Genre(s): Documentary

Running time: 90 minutes

With the advent and overuse of fracking in the United States, North Dakota suddenly found itself in the middle of a boom, becoming one of the nation’s biggest producers of oil, second only to Texas. With the streets figuratively running black with liquid income, tens of thousands of Americans descended upon the state with the hopes of lucrative employment. However, much like the gold rush back in the day, things are not quite as rosy they seem, and folks find themselves in a community that’s already overemployed and underhoused.

Centre to all of this is the town of Williston, and centre of the town is pastor Jay Reinke, a kind and selfless family man who has opened up his church to "the overnighters"; those who are in need of food and shelter while they try to find their feet in the town. This generosity is not as welcomed by the local townsfolk, who were already suspicious of strangers, and even more so after the rape and murder of a woman by two out-of-towners.

The laid-back approach to gathering information by director Jesse Moss allows the subjects within some more breathing space to open up and allow things to develop naturally, with a less talking head feel to it, and more priests’ confession box. As the film progresses, we’re witnessing a version of the American Dream which has been lost in no small part due to Americans themselves, especially when Reinke’s kindness towards some makes others feel like they’ve been slighted, and the lines begin to blur between the acceptance of charity and the feeling of entitlement.

Things progress and we learn more about the characters and the developments, but it becomes clear the The Overnighters has no goal in site. ‘These are the breaks, isn’t that sad, but we’re damned if we can figure out any kind of resolution’, it seems to shrug towards the end of its runtime. Representative rather than enlightening, The Overnighters will highlight an aspect of community and humanity that we already knew about, but tend to want to ignore due to the inherent frustration it brings about. A worthy, well-made but not entirely endearing documentary.