ReelBob: ‘Night Sweats’ ★★½

By Bob Bloom

“Night Sweats” is a jagged blend of mystery and medical thriller that fails to meld into a solid feature.

Yuri (Kyle Despiegler) is a young skateboarder who recently moved to New York. He is staying with his childhood friend, Jake, also a skateboarder.

Though Jake, Yuri meets MK (Mary Elaine Ramsey), and an attraction grows between them.

One night, when Yuri and MK are making out, Jake becomes violently ill. He is transported to the hospital where, the next morning, he dies.

A medical examiner tells Yuri that Jake’s death may have been caused by him taking contaminated drugs. But Yuri knows that Jake never took hard drugs.

He begins his own investigation.

What he discovers leads to a shady self-help company and a conspiracy that includes several other deaths.

Yuri, who himself has become infected, soon figures out the common denominator that unites all the victims.

While “Night Sweats, directed by Andrew Lyman-Clarke and co-written by Lyman-Clarke and Seth Panman, keeps you involved and arouses your curiosity about the cause of the disease, the movie’s very limited budget handcuffs the film, as it uses few sets and locales around New York City.

Also, the explanation and presentation of the disease is sketchy and ill-defined.

The movie’s pace could have been quickened, as it contains too many shots of Yuri either walking or skateboarding through the city.

The movie’s best feature is the denouncement before the fade-out.

Not helping is the young cast. Despiegler’s Yuri and Ramsey’s MK are bland and never really seem to change their demeanors.

And the various shots of Yuri exhibiting the effects of the disease also are not believable as, basically, Despiegler simply staggers and rolls his eyes.

Ramsey’s performance needed to be sharper. Almost from the outset, you realize there is something off-kilter about her. Wisely, she holds back, revealing little tidbits about MK, which you are not sure are fact or fiction.

Also, it is not quite clear what the self-help company is doing with the video testimonials it is collecting, nor the role of a big pharmacy company.

“Night Sweats,” unfortunately, is undercut by a lack of funds. A bigger budget would have eliminated the cramped sets, especially that of the self-help company, which is set in one big room, with only a couple of employees.

As it is, Lyman-Clarke does the best he can with his meager resources, and he deserves kudos for that.

“Night Sweats” offers an interesting premise. Despite some of its budget-restraining distractions, you continue watching because you want to see how it all plays out.

The movie’s payoff is a surprise and satisfying kicker that does not disappoint.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

NIGHT SWEATS
2½ stars out of 4
Not rated, disturbing images, sexual situations