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That Night (1992) movie poster

Characters & Themes

That Night (1992) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
1992 · 89 mins · English
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Directed by
Craig Bolotin
Starring
Juliette Lewis, Katherine Heigl, Becky Ann Baker, Eliza Dushku, C. Thomas Howell, Adam Kroloff

In everyone’s life there’s a friendship you never forget. A coming-of-age story about an eleven-year-old girl who idolizes her troubled sixteen-year-old neighbor.

On this page (9)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (3)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (2)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Movies like That Night
  8. 8 Categories
  9. 9 Every angle
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3 main characters · contains spoilers

That Night Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of That Night (1992), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Sheryl O'Connor (Katherine Heigl)

    Sheryl is a caring and rebellious teenager who navigates love, loss, and societal expectations. She strives for independence while facing pressure from her family and community, exemplifying adolescent desire for freedom and the struggles of adhering to social norms.

    • 🚺 Rebellious
    • 💔 Emotional
    • 🎶 Youth
  • Alice Bloom (Eliza Dushku)

    Alice is a young, impressionable girl infatuated with Sheryl. She is eager to understand love and loyalty, often acting as a confidante and moral supporter. Her innocence contrasts with the adult themes surrounding her.

    • 🌸 Innocent
    • 👧 Curious
    • 💭 Loyal
  • Rick (C. Thomas Howell)

    Rick is a charismatic and impulsive young man caught in the complexities of teenage love and responsibility. His devotion to Sheryl leads to conflicts with her family and legal troubles, illustrating youthful passion and the repercussions of defiance.

    • 🎸 Rebellious
    • 💓 Passionate
    • 🚓 Troubled

Last updated: August 19, 2025 at 04:59

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Setting

Where and When Does That Night Take Place?

The setting of That Night (1992): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

1961

The story takes place during the early 1960s, a time characterized by traditional values, social conservatism, and emerging youth culture. This period saw changes in gender roles and family dynamics, which influence the characters' choices and societal pressures depicted in the film.

Location

Long Island, New York

The movie is set in 1961 Long Island, a suburban coastal area known for its beaches, small-town charm, and proximity to New York City. The neighborhood features a close-knit community where social reputation and personal relationships are prominent themes.

  • 🗽 Suburban
  • 🌊 Coastal
  • 🏘️ Community

Last updated: August 19, 2025 at 04:59

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2 major themes

That Night Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is That Night (1992) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Love and Heartbreak

    The film explores the intense and often tumultuous nature of young love, highlighting innocence, infatuation, and the pain of separation. It portrays how emotional bonds are formed and tested amidst societal restrictions and personal hardships.

  • Family and Society

    Family expectations, parental control, and societal judgment significantly impact the characters' lives. The story emphasizes the importance of understanding, loyalty, and the conflicts between personal desires and family obligations during the era.

Last updated: August 19, 2025 at 04:59

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Character & theme questions

That Night Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about That Night (1992): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is the story set?

That Night is set in 1961 on Long Island, New York. The suburban coastal environment features a close-knit community where social reputation and personal relationships drive the narrative. This setting provides a backdrop of small-town charm mixed with restrictive social norms.

  • long island
  • 1961
  • setting
  • suburban
  • new york
Q2

What time period does the movie take place in?

The film takes place during the early 1960s, specifically in 1961. This era is characterized by traditional values and social conservatism, which heavily influence the characters' choices. The emerging youth culture of the time clashes with the established family dynamics portrayed in That Night.

  • 1960s
  • 1961
  • era
  • time period
  • conservatism
Q3

Who is Alice Bloom in the story?

Alice Bloom is an eleven-year-old girl who serves as the narrative perspective for That Night. She is impressionable and idolizes her older neighbor, acting as a confidante and moral supporter. Her innocence contrasts with the adult themes surrounding her, grounding the coming-of-age story.

  • alice bloom
  • narrator
  • eleven-year-old
  • perspective
  • coming-of-age
Q4

What is Sheryl O'Connor's role?

Sheryl O'Connor is a sixteen-year-old neighbor who is caring yet rebellious. She navigates love and loss while facing pressure from her family and community to conform. In That Night, she exemplifies the adolescent desire for freedom amidst strict social norms.

  • sheryl oconnor
  • teenager
  • rebellious
  • neighbor
  • independence
Q5

Who is Rick and what does he represent?

Rick is a charismatic and impulsive young man devoted to Sheryl. His actions lead to conflicts with her family and legal troubles, illustrating youthful passion and defiance. In That Night, he represents the complexities of teenage love and responsibility.

  • rick
  • boyfriend
  • impulsive
  • teenage love
  • conflict
Q6

How are Alice and Sheryl connected?

Alice idolizes Sheryl, forming a friendship defined by mentorship and admiration. This bond allows Alice to observe adult emotions and relationship struggles through Sheryl's experiences. Their connection is central to the coming-of-age narrative in That Night.

  • friendship
  • idolization
  • mentorship
  • bond
  • relationship
Q7

What is the main theme regarding love?

The film explores the intense and tumultuous nature of young love, highlighting innocence and infatuation. It portrays how emotional bonds are formed and tested amidst societal restrictions. That Night emphasizes the pain of separation and the endurance of emotional connections.

  • love
  • heartbreak
  • infatuation
  • young love
  • theme
Q8

How does society influence the characters?

Family expectations and societal judgment significantly impact the characters' lives throughout That Night. The story emphasizes the conflict between personal desires and family obligations common to the era. Loyalty and understanding are tested against these external pressures.

  • society
  • family
  • judgment
  • pressure
  • expectations
Q9

What is the overall tone of the film?

The tone of That Night is predominantly bittersweet and nostalgic. It combines the hopeful excitement of first love with the melancholy of grief and harsh societal realities. The narrative maintains a reflective lens that softens the emotional weight of the serious topics.

  • tone
  • mood
  • bittersweet
  • nostalgic
  • reflective
Q10

Whose perspective is the story told from?

The narrative is told linearly from Alice Bloom's perspective. This viewpoint allows the audience to experience the events through the eyes of a young observer maturing into understanding. That Night uses this lens to explore adult emotions from a child's standpoint.

  • perspective
  • pov
  • alice bloom
  • narrative
  • linear
Q11

What genre is the movie?

That Night is classified as a Romance and Drama film. It focuses on interpersonal relationships and emotional growth rather than action or comedy. The genre supports the exploration of coming-of-age themes and societal conflicts.

  • genre
  • romance
  • drama
  • classification
  • film type
Q12

What drives the central conflict?

The central conflict arises from the clash between youthful passion and conservative social norms. Characters struggle to maintain loyalty and love while facing family disapproval and legal troubles. That Night depicts this tension as the primary source of dramatic weight.

  • conflict
  • drama
  • tension
  • norms
  • passion

Movie threads

More Movies Like That Night, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes That Night tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies with a child's perspective like That Night

Narratives seen through the innocent yet perceptive gaze of a child. If you liked witnessing the adult drama through Alice's eyes in That Night, you'll appreciate these other films. This list features movies where a young character's innocent viewpoint provides a poignant and often bittersweet lens on love, loss, and life's complexities, similar to the experience of That Night.

  • nostalgic
  • innocent
  • melancholic
  • sentimental
  • yearning
  • observational
  • Tone: bittersweet, nostalgic, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, reflective
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern follows a youthful observer, often on the cusp of adolescence, who idolizes or is fascinated by an older character. The central conflict is the child's gradual, sometimes painful, awakening to the realities of the adult world, which shatters their innocent perceptions and leads to a loss of innocence.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here for their shared narrative perspective. They create a specific emotional resonance by filtering mature themes like love, grief, and societal pressure through an innocent lens, resulting in a uniquely bittersweet and nostalgic tone that balances melancholy with the hopefulness of growing up.

Bittersweet summer romance movies like That Night

Stories where a transformative summer romance is shadowed by melancholy. Fans of the poignant summer love story in That Night will find more evocative tales here. Discover movies that capture the intense, fleeting romance of a transformative season, blending youthful passion with the melancholy of inevitable change and loss, much like the story of Sheryl and Rick.

  • bittersweet
  • nostalgic
  • yearning
  • melancholic
  • hopeful
  • summer
  • Tone: bittersweet, hopeful, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, seasonal
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative unfolds over a single summer that serves as a crucial turning point for the characters. A powerful, often star-crossed, romance blossoms but faces significant external obstacles—such as family conflict, societal pressure, or impending separation—leading to an ending that is hopeful yet sad, acknowledging the relationship's impact while accepting its end.

Why they belong together: This thread groups movies based on a shared mood and setting: the potent mix of summer's nostalgic warmth with the acute pain of a first major heartbreak or loss. They share a steady, reflective pace, a medium emotional intensity, and a core theme of beautiful, impermanent love.

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Movies Like That Night

Similar movies to That Night: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

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Categories

Movie Lists Featuring That Night

That Night appears in these hand-built movie categories. Each one groups movies by a specific mood, theme or story type, with their plot summaries and endings explained.

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Every angle

That Night (1992) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about That Night in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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