SHEDDING LIGHT ON A SAVIOR
AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR

It’s coming to digital platforms on September 15, but the 2023 film Brave the Dark is not recommended…unless you’re willing to be inspired, to have your faith in humanity restored, and to give up your membership in the J.P.S. (Jaded Pessimists Society) when faced with the evidence that one goodhearted person can change the life of a troubled soul. The feeling of compassion that sensitive humans have for each other, called “the milk of human kindness” by William Shakespeare’s character of Lady Macbeth, is something flowing in the veins of a teacher named Stan in the engrossing and inspirational film.

That milk of human kindness is first evident with milk chocolate, when this concerned high school drama instructor instinctively gives a Hershey’s candy bar to Nate, one of his students. Shakespeare himself figures in the plot in a Christmas scene when a spoken-word vinyl record of the Bard’s writing is unwrapped and played. What altruistic Stan really gives Nate are the gifts of trust, hope, and guidance as he offers shelter and a shoulder to lean on when the teen, who is homeless, gets in legal trouble. 

The plot thickens, but interest increases because this is not some soupy saga of a selfless superhero of a mentor bent on rescuing a jaded, battered-by-life youth in a coming-of-age/coming-with-rage portrait. Interest is increased because this is a true story, with much involvement by the real-life Nate Deen, who co-wrote the initial screenplay (quite a few years after becoming an adult; the main events take place in 1986). He’s also one of the executive producers.

Contrasting with the cheerful, caring Stan, the sullen Nate – who’s been through a series of foster homes and ran away from the most recent one — has trouble accepting someone’s genuine concern and generosity. Despite other school staff discouraging his noble efforts, and limited expressions of gratitude from the teen, Stan perseveres, trying to tear down the boy’s defenses. It’s not an easy climb, but a viewer will likely root for both characters. Adding mystery, Brave the Dark’s mini-flashbacks to a traumatic childhood memory accumulate during the movie, but the full horror and its impact are not spelled out until late in the film. Stan is a hero and Nate needs to be saved. But will he jump into the offered lifeboat? 

Brave the Dark is a kind of community project and somewhat a family affair. The movie was filmed in locations of the Pennsylvania town where the story unfolded, and people who knew and admired Stan (who died in 2016) chipped in to provide some of the funding. Derek Dienner, one of the producers, lived there, too. (His wife Ashley Dienner is a co-producer.)

And then there are the Harris men (yes, sons of the famous actor/singer Richard Harris): Damian Harris directed and provided some additional writing and his brothers are in the cast, Jamie Harris plays Nate’s probation officer, while Jared Harris portrays Stan.

The pace is just right in this absorbing production. The two lead actors are especially magnetic and sympathetic, despite Nate’s graciousness-challenged M.O. It’s clear he is wary and that emotion, to him, is scary. The excellent chemistry between Jared Harris and Nicholas Hamilton as teen-aged Nate makes Brave the Dark especially rewarding to watch as the boy’s defensiveness and negativity start to thaw, but there’s no shortage of frustrations for the teacher/father figure. The actors’ reactions, verbal and nonverbal, to situations and revelations feel authentic and fraught with tension, with the bubbling-under potential of breakthroughs.

Setbacks and errors in judgment make the journey of their growing relationship somewhat unpredictable. Rather than a slow but steady drawing-closer that you’d find in a perfect world (or predictable feel-good, not-so-good movie with a fictional plot), the uphill climb is sometimes more like the Greek myth of Sisyphus, fated to eternally push a boulder up a mountain, only to have it start to roll down again. There are moments of desperation and consternation, with some perceived brightness of the light at the end of the tunnel that could break through the titular Dark.

In interviews, Nate Deen remarks that the remarkable incidents as presented are “90 percent” true and that the behaviors of the two lead actors and their interactions mirror the real people.  The real story – and the movie – are moving and motivating.

(PS—Stick with the film through the end credits and, while wiping away tears, you’ll be able to note two more aspects of star Nicholas Hamilton’s talents as he sings “Never Alone” over the credits with Belinda Carlisle: a song he co-wrote.)

stills courtesy of Strike Media

Brave the Dark
a production by Aristos Films and MAKE/FILMS
in Association with Triode Media
a Strike Media Ltd. film
1 hour, 52 minutes | PG-13
coming to digital platforms from 15 September, 2025
for more info, visit MAKE/FILMS