In the Dark

"In the Dark" centers around Joshua, a soldier grappling with profound trauma while leading a small unit in a brutal, seemingly senseless war. Throughout the story, Joshua's relationship with his young son, Greg, appears to be a key source of his motivation to survive and return home. However, the audience is later confronted with a shocking twist—Greg has been dead for some time, and Joshua's interactions with him have been hallucinations caused by his overwhelming grief and guilt. The story opens with Joshua and his squad—Riley, Arkady, Sandra, and Georgiy—taking refuge in a war-torn barn while under heavy enemy fire. Joshua, dressed in dark camouflage, is visibly shaken, his hands trembling as he holds his weapon. He appears to be struggling not only with the external chaos of the battle but also with an inner turmoil, although the extent of this is not yet clear. Amidst the battle, the team fights desperately to hold their position. Arkady is injured, and Sandra rushes to his aid while Joshua, still gripped by fear and uncertainty, calls for a medic. Riley attempts to contact air support over the radio, but time is running out. The group eventually makes a break for it as the barn collapses in flames from an enemy RPG strike. Joshua is thrown to the ground by the explosion, but as he recovers, he begins hearing the voice of his son, Greg, calling out to him. The next sequence introduces Greg more fully, with Joshua having a video call with his wife, Tina, who appears frustrated with Joshua’s long absence. Tina mentions Greg and offers to wake him so Joshua can speak to him, but Joshua declines, claiming Greg has school in the morning. This interaction leads the audience to believe that Greg is still alive and that Joshua is struggling with the emotional weight of being away from his family while his son deals with an illness. Tina’s sadness and frustration are evident, especially as she accuses Joshua of using the war as an excuse to escape the pain of their son’s condition. As the story progresses, the film alternates between scenes of war and Joshua’s haunting memories and dreams of Greg. These dreams portray Greg as a frail, sickly boy, constantly asking for his father's help. The relationship between Joshua and Greg becomes a recurring emotional anchor, with Joshua repeatedly hearing Greg’s voice and imagining him in moments of crisis. The audience is led to sympathize with Joshua’s need to return to Greg, believing that his son is alive and that Joshua’s ultimate goal is to reunite with him. Meanwhile, the squad moves through war-ravaged landscapes and engages in several skirmishes with the enemy. At one point, they encounter child soldiers, including a boy named Faddei. Faddei, scared and seemingly innocent, becomes a central figure in Joshua’s arc as Joshua tries to protect him. The tension between duty and morality is palpable as Joshua is torn between his role as a soldier and his paternal instincts, which are closely tied to his feelings for Greg. Joshua’s leadership comes into question multiple times, especially when Arkady is accidentally killed during a chaotic confrontation involving Faddei. Joshua’s inability to keep his team safe reflects his deeper failure—his perceived inability to protect Greg. This event marks the beginning of Joshua’s psychological unraveling, as his guilt and despair intensify. The film builds toward its climactic twist. In a final confrontation, Joshua encounters Faddei again. Faddei, terrified and confused, shoots Joshua multiple times. As Joshua lies dying, he hallucinates one last time—seeing Greg in front of him, calling out to him. It is in these final moments that the audience realizes the truth: Greg has been dead all along. The repeated visions of Greg throughout the film were not flashbacks or a reflection of reality but the product of Joshua’s deteriorating mental state. The conversations, the phone calls, and the dreams were all manifestations of his inability to cope with his son's death. The sun, which has been absent throughout the film’s dark, cloudy landscape, finally breaks through the clouds as Joshua dies, offering a brief moment of peace in his hallucination. He smiles at the vision of Greg and expresses his love for him, his final words revealing the depth of his unresolved guilt and longing. The film ends on a somber note as the surviving members of the squad—Riley, Georgiy, Sandra, and Thomas—continue their mission without Joshua. They bury their fallen comrades, including Arkady and Joshua, and move forward with a sense of loss and resignation. In the aftermath of the battle, the cyclical and unrelenting nature of war becomes evident, as new soldiers will inevitably take the place of the fallen, and the war will continue, indifferent to the lives it consumes.