Patricia Rozema's When Night is Falling, the 1995 follow-up to her quirky, critically acclaimed I Heard the Mermaids Singing, is a coming out story told through lush cinematography and a passionate and compelling--if racially problematic--love story.

In both movies, the storylines involve a red-haired, straight-until-now protagonist who finds herself attracted to an artistic, confident, ‘out’ lesbian, and both tell their story through recurring visual imagery like white light and people flying through the air. Rozema is first and foremost a beautiful cinematographer, so you can’t help watching her movies and not be awed by their artistry, but When Night is Falling benefits from an obviously much larger budget than Mermaids.

Rozema forgoes the comedic magical-realism seen in Mermaids to create a lushly told dramatic tale that is more beautiful and much more overtly sexual in When Night is Falling.

Night's story follows Camille, a professor of mythology at a conservative Christian college, who is undergoing a transformation similar to the ancient gods she lectures about. The catalyst for Camille’s change starts when her dog unexpectedly dies and she reveals to a beautiful stranger that she “loved him more than anything or anyone I’m supposed to love.” The stranger is Petra, a performance artist who is traveling through town with a financially struggling modern circus aptly named “Sircus of Sorts.”

If it seems like a highly improbable match, it is--but this is the movies, where extreme opposites often fall in love despite the understanding that they probably would never work out in real life and that makes it all the more exciting.

Camille is initially pursued rather aggressively by the charming Petra, and at times she seems as much drawn to Petra’s carefree spirit as to Petra’s alluring physical presence. But it is the conservative Camille who initiates their first kiss, memorable because of its incredibly slow and deliberate approach. The chemistry between the two actresses is palpable and viewers certainly find themselves rooting for the star crossed-lovers.

As their love story continues, Camille struggles with the external idea of being perceived as gay as much as she struggles with her own sense of self identity and religious doctrine. Her primary challenge in accepting that she is attracted to Petra seem to revolve around telling her fiancé about the affair and avoiding public displays of affection that seem to her to be “crass.” While she does confess to the reverend that she is confused by her attraction to Petra, Camille doesn’t seem to be conflicted about engaging in what she had previously believed was a sin.

Maybe Camille is just meant to be one of the lucky few who are very well adjusted, or maybe it’s because Camille was already actively engaging in what the church would consider sinful behavior by sleeping with her fiancé prior to marriage. In any case, it keeps the movie fairly light and romantic.

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