The little creatures of the riverbank emerge to bask in the glow of an enchanting moon.
Toby Tatum's Night on the Riverbank was created through reworking footage from a forgotten B&W children’s programme.
Night on the Riverbank features a magical new score by composer Abi Fry.
According to Italian film blog L'emergere del possibile the film was conjured via invocation, issuing forth from beyond the grave: Night on the Riverbank “è un film che sembra provenire direttamente dall'oltretomba”. L'emergere del possibile later included the film in their 2019 best film list.
“Enter the terrain of the most magical and translucent night”. Spanish blogger Cinesinfin posted a marvellous review of Night on the Riverbank, the writer considering the film in the context of children’s fables. The review also praises “the fantastic musical composition of Abigail Fry that manages to transcend attractive contemplation and reach the territory of fantasy and dream.” The full review, in Spanish, is online to read here.
Abi Fry described her working practice during the Q&A at Alchemy Film & Moving Image Festival 2020:
“I have quite a specific process when composing for the films of Toby Tatum. My aim is to clear my mind and become a blank canvas whilst I watch the film many times in silence and allow ideas to surface. I try not to impose my own will until I have connected on a subconscious level and allowed the film’s magic to guide me. The first thing that came to me, when considering Night on the Riverbank, was the idea of stretching time and space and I began to experiment with cascading piano motifs to get this across, adding shimmering strings and floating harps to create the feeling of magic in the air.”