The Calm Before… and During… the Storm

Read Time:5 Minute, 44 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
No Sleep Till
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Genre: Drama
Year Released: 2024, 2025
Runtime: 1h 34m
Director(s): Alexandra Simpson
Writer(s): Alexandra Simpson
Cast: Jordan Coley, Taylor Benton, Franklin Ritch, Brynne Hofbauer, Xavier Brown-Sanders
Where to Watch: opens in NYC at Metrograph on July 18, 2025

RAVING REVIEW: As a storm creeps closer to a sleepy Florida town, NO SLEEP TILL chooses to follow not the path of destruction, but the people who decide to stay behind. Instead of creating a race-against-time narrative or plumbing the depths of catastrophe, the film prefers to remain grounded in the stillness before impact, the silence before the storm. It’s a confident, stripped-down debut from Alexandra Simpson, and while its minimalism may frustrate some viewers, its commitment to atmosphere, character, and subtle expression is never in question.

The story is told in fragments, by design. The town of Atlantic Beach is under a mandatory evacuation, and most residents have cleared out. What remains are a handful of individuals whose reasons for staying aren’t always articulated, but whose decisions are nonetheless understandable. There’s Will (Jordan Coley), a struggling stand-up comic, and Mike (Xavier Brown-Sanders), his longtime friend, whose dynamic oscillates between tension and unspoken longing. Their bond is tested as they use the evacuation as a chance to escape to Philadelphia, though how far they get is less important than the emotional terrain they cover.

June (Brynne Hofbauer), a girl working what may be her final shift in a souvenir shop, moves through the town like a ghost in familiar territory. Her story is quiet and observational—she rides her bike, lingers at the skate park, and drifts through a neighborhood that feels like it’s slipping out of reach. Then there’s Taylor (Taylor Benton), a real-life storm chaser, who hunkers down with cameras and gear, treating the approaching storm as more science than threat. While others retreat, he leans in, though his interactions with locals are brief and tinged with detachment.

These characters don’t intersect in traditional dramatic ways. Instead, the film allows them to share space —both geographic and emotional — without forcing them together. This is a film of glances, routines, and uncertainty. People walk, wait, and wonder. Their actions may be small, but they are deeply human. And in refusing to rush or overexplain, Simpson trusts her audience to meet the film on its level.

The visual style is more than aesthetic—it’s the film’s backbone. NO SLEEP TILL isn’t driven by dialogue or action but by tempo and proximity. It captures the in-between moments: someone staring at a ceiling fan, someone checking a phone for news they know won’t help. These aren’t “plot points” in the traditional sense. But they resonate because they feel honest. They evoke that specific tension of knowing something’s coming and having no power to stop or even understand it.

The film’s commitment to subtlety won’t work for everyone. There’s a fine line between observational and distant, and at times, the characters can feel more like outlines than fully drawn figures. Will and Mike get the most development, and their relationship has enough texture to feel lived-in. However, others, such as June and Taylor, are defined more by their actions and surroundings than emotional arcs. It’s an intentional choice, but one that may leave some viewers yearning for a deeper connection.

What sets the film apart, though, is how it treats the storm not as an antagonist but as a shared experience. It’s not a metaphor for one thing—it’s many. It’s upheaval, opportunity, escape, fear, release. It forces each character to confront something they’ve been putting off, even if only internally. The film also avoids grand revelations or dramatic twists. There’s no resolution to chase, no single emotional climax. Instead, NO SLEEP TILL offers a gradual deepening, a sense that even if nothing changes on the surface, something has shifted underneath.

The sound design supports this approach. Instead of swelling music or chaotic noise, the film employs ambient elements—such as weather reports, buzzing insects, and flickering street lamps—to build unease. There’s a tactile realism here that makes the town feel inhabited even when empty. You don’t need to be told people are scared; you hear it in what’s missing. No traffic, no voices, no laughter. Just wind and silence and maybe the soft rustle of someone unsure if they should go or stay.

As a debut, NO SLEEP TILL shows impressive control and conviction. Simpson’s direction is unflashy but assured. She’s not interested in spectacle or exposition, and that commitment pays off in creating a world that feels real, even if what’s happening in it is subtle. For some viewers, the film’s refusal to build to something more overt may be frustrating. But for those open to its pace and approach, there’s real value in its restraint.

It’s a film that asks you to pay attention—not to twists or turns, but to tone, to body language, to the emotional drift. That won’t work for everyone, and that’s okay. The film isn’t trying to win everyone over. It’s speaking to those who understand that not all storms come with sound and fury—some just linger in the distance, changing everything without saying a word.

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[photo courtesy of OMNES FILMS, SALEM STREET ENTERTAINMENT, WILLA]

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