Tired Moonlight

Britni West’s directorial debut discovers homespun poetry among the good folk of West’s native Kalispell, Montana. Kalispell is a small town populated by lonely hearts engaging in awkward one-night stands, children with starry eyes and bruised knees, stock-car drivers, junkyard treasure hunters, and bighorn sheep. Rarely has Big Sky Country ever cast such a sweetly comic and tender spell. Photographed in Super-16mm by Adam Ginsberg and featuring a mostly nonprofessional cast (with the exception of indie favorite Alex Karpovsky) in semi-fictionalized roles, TIRED MOONLIGHT is a sui generis slice of contemporary naturalism. (MoMA) “People are constantly asking me why I shot it in a doc style, which is so confusing to me. These strict guidelines are not something I’m rebelling against at all. I think the way we shot was really just me wanting to feel like I was a part of the world, but not be poetic about it. I wanted you to know there is wind in the trees and animals wandering around, but I didn’t want it to be beautiful just to be beautiful.” (Britni West)

In the presence of Britni West.