In writer/director S.J. Creazzo’s Dark Night of the Soul, Kristanna Loken plays CDC researcher Alex. She just may harbor the cure to a worldwide pandemic that’s wiped out nearly a third of the population. The only problem is that she gets into a terrible crash, which traps her in her vehicle. While some people may shrug off yet another indie horror movie about a global pandemic, it should be noted that this feature uses the pandemic as a narrative device. This film is much more concerned with Alex’s character and the very idea of memory.

In the opening minutes, Alex flips through radio stations that talk about the “new normal” and lockdowns. Yes, this will conjure horrible memories of 2020 and 2021, but after the crash occurs, the film evolves into a much more interesting character study. While Alex tries to pull herself out of the wreck, while also recovering her notes, she floats in and out of consciousness. These scenes are some of the most interesting. She talks to her sister Lori (Courtney Warner) and her father (Martin Kove). This, in turn, colors in Alex’s character.

The conversations Alex has with each of her family members varies wildly. She and Lori have an evident sibling rivalry. Alex confesses at one point that she feels their dad loved Lori more. Lori immediately disagrees and says that her dad simply loved them differently based on their unique talents. This conversation not only underscores the messy relationship between the siblings, but also the complicated relationship that Alex had with her old man.

Meanwhile, the scenes between Alex and her dad are the most intriguing sequences in the film. Both Loken and Kove turn in good performances. As already mentioned, the relationship between Alex and her dad is complicated. At one point, she recounts how he had her sleep in a bed in the woods, while informing her a bear was nearby. Talk about terrifying! He then adds that there never was a bear. Talk about messed up. Yet, as their scenes progress, he helps her uncover what caused the disease, which led to the pandemic. He pushes her, which leads her to discover more answers and a possible cure. Additionally, he encourages her to stay alive, ensuring she’s not unconscious for too long.

These unconscious sequences, however, are the most interesting. They’re a meditation on how memory operates, while filling in various shades of Alex’s character and her relationship to her family. While the scenes of Alex trapped in the car, trying desperately to free herself, are gripping, they don’t have the emotional heft that the unconscious sequences contain.

Yes, Dark Night of the Soul is yet another pandemic film. However, that subject matter really doesn’t dominate the feature. Instead, this film works as a creative character study and meditation on memory.