The second feature from Josh Lobo (I Trapped the Devil) is an unsettling, enigmatic mystery that follows a security officer working at a modern, sparse-looking university.

Andy (Scott Poythress) is part of a team that patrols the floors of the shadowy complex, his monotonous days punctuated by an equally bleak private life. He’s moved to the night shift, despite his protestations, and everything gets stranger. With even fewer people around, he explores the place, finding a seemingly sealed-off room, which contains a naked figure, each night a different gender and body shape. He becomes obsessed with attempting to find answers, which becomes difficult with the secretiveness of the facility.

Andy’s personal life is as impenetrable as the narrative. He has had a split from his family and is driven mad by the couple in the adjoining apartment’s seemingly constant shagging, although he develops sympathy for the woman when he overhears her being verbally assaulted.

Lobo builds anxiety and atmosphere with brooding cinematography (hats off to the returning Bryce Holden), shifting the aspect ratio as the story moves through the various characters’ versions of the same time frame. It’s not just a rehashing of the same situations, though, as it’s only repetitive when the tales overlap. The pacing is glacial, but the mood is captivating, ambiguous, and shadowy enough to hold attention, albeit unsettlingly. Don’t expect any easy answers, though,

There’s a noiresque narration from Andy, heightening the intrigue and paranoia, while also giving the movie a timeless quality. It’s also great to see AJ Bowen in a small part of a replacement security guard. His presence always lifts the quality of any film.

NIGHT AFTER NIGHT screened at the Chattanooga Film Festival and is playing at Tubi FrightFest in August.