Written by Robert Scucci | Published
Looking for a neo-noir sci-fi thriller based on a time-traveling serial killer who only appears once every nine years, making his victims bleed out of their eyes for no real rhyme or reason? I know you are, which brings me to the good news. in 2019 In the Shadow of the Moon it will take you on this straight trip, and a complete trip. Think about it The Truth Detective Season 1, but instead of an elite group of corrupt Louisiana officials operating a human trafficking ring behind closed doors, the antagonist is a mysterious figure who only appears during certain moon cycles to kill people.
Is it an alien? The person of tomorrow? Or is it just a figment of our protagonist’s imagination as he becomes so obsessed with this case that he alienates everyone he’s ever cared about, becoming a shell of a man during a decades-long investigation that no one else seems interested in solving?
It Happens And…
In the Shadow of the Moon tells a story that shifts in time in a continuous manner, starting in 1988 in Philadelphia and ending in 2024. We are introduced to the policeman Thomas Lockhart (Boyd Holbrook), heading to the cemetery with his colleague Maddox (Bokeem Woodbine) while leaving his heavily pregnant wife Jean (Rachel Keller) at home. What starts as a normal night quickly turns around when more victims die under the same strange circumstances.
Each victim has puncture wounds, and their brains bind in a catastrophic fashion, leaking from every pore of the face as you would expect. With the help of Thomas’ brother-in-law, Detective Holt (Michael C. Hall), they track down the woman they believe is behind this (Cleopatra Coleman). Before they can get any answers, she jumps in front of a train, but not before she tells Thomas intimate details about her life, including the fact that Jean will die in childbirth that night.
In 1997, Thomas is a widowed detective struggling to raise his 9-year-old daughter, Amy (Quincy Kirkwood). He is convinced that the 1988 massacre was a one-off until the same pattern re-emerged in nine years. This time, the investigation expands to include a physicist named Naveen, who insists that the murders are connected over time. Thomas, Maddox, and the promoted Lieutenant Holt debunk this theory, but the nine-year cycle continues, tightening Thomas’s life.
We see him again in 2006, worse after he leaves the force to work as a private investigator who focuses only on this case. In 2015, he’s still a cub, still chasing answers while everyone else moves on. The pattern continues, the passion grows, and Thomas is the only one who refuses to let it go.
If True Detective Were a Netflix Sci-Fi Original
So much for the way I want to end it In the Shadow of the MoonA few things took me out of it. While this may sound nitpicky, the 1988 and 1997 sequels lack the kind of texture that really sells those times. I’m not saying it needs to work as a full-time episode, but you’d be hard-pressed to separate the ’80s from the present day without the absence of smartphones, which bothered me more than it should have.
Minor criticism aside, In the Shadow of the Moon it scores major points for its ambitious premise and hard-boiled neo-noir vibe. The mystery is compelling enough to keep you hooked, and Boyd Holbrook’s physical portrayal of a man slowly losing everything in search of answers is a selling point. Whoever managed their makeup in order deserves a lot of credit, because you can plan their decline in the age lines written on their face.
In the Shadow of the Moon takes the usual mystery-thriller beats, injects them with a bright sci-fi twist, and delivers a time-consuming character study that’s confusing in places but undeniably impressive. Currently streaming on Netflix, it’s perfect for anyone looking for their crime dramas with a side of moonshine.
