Directed by Jason Reitman, SATURDAY NIGHT takes us into the mid-1970s at a time of cultural chaos. In the midst of Watergate, Vietnam and a changing world, America found itself at an emotional crossroads, painted with fear. But, in the midst of these trying times, Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) and his team of ‘not ready for prime-time players’ were working towards something new. Tonight, they’re about to unleash a new live television program that has the potential to speak for a generation. With the clock ticking down, Michaels tries desperately to hold things together because, in 90 short minutes, they go live from New York. It’s Saturday Night.
Told in real time, Reitman truly captures the chaos of live television. The orchestration involved in creating scenes like this is nothing short of remarkable. While every scene is meticulously crafted, there’s also a certain sense of improvisation involved in this sort of cinematic chaos. Each ebb and flow of the lens points us towards the primary action yet conversations and movement is happening off camera as well. After all, this is a film every person has their own agendas and stories and Reitman wants it to feel authentic.
Amazingly, despite the film’s limited runtime, he manages to squeeze the essence out of each valuable second onscreen. Moments play out with these characters almost with the brevity of the live sketches themselves but the film weaves them together with such effortless energy that they never feel fractured.
Interestingly, SATURDAY NIGHT holds no particular agenda or clear, crisp meaning. Instead, Reitman wants to transport us into a moment in time that is about to change television forever. In doing so, he highlights the importance of youthful voices at a time of political and social upheaval. Despite a system designed to maintain the status quo, these rebellious youth wanted to have their voices heard. They’re wild, unruly and irreverent… but Reitman makes sure we know that they’re also exactly what we needed.
SATURDAY NIGHT is playing at TIFF ’24. For more information, click here.
