That Night (2013) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film takes place primarily on Long Island, New York, specifically in a close-knit seaside suburb. The setting includes recognizable locations like bowling alleys, beaches, and boardwalks that define the community's daily life. The story also briefly moves upstate to an unwed mothers' home, representing the geographic divide between escape and consequence.

• long island
• new york
• seaside suburb
• setting
• locations

The story unfolds in 1961, during a period of conservative social mores on the cusp of the 1960s. This era was characterized by rigid expectations around family reputation, strict rules about romance, and intense neighborhood scrutiny. The late summer setting heightens the tension between personal desire and societal duty.

• 1961
• time period
• 1960s
• historical setting
• summer

The central theme revolves around the tender but perilous romance between Sheryl and Rick, which is challenged by age gaps, parental disapproval, and community judgment. Their relationship becomes a flashpoint for exploring desire, loyalty, and the costs of pursuing happiness against social boundaries. The story examines how love collides with expectations and the longing for a different future.

• forbidden love
• sheryl
• rick
• romance
• relationship

Alice Bloom is a curious ten-year-old who serves as the film's observer, documenting events and pursuing truth in a world where adults hide their complexities. Her bond with Sheryl and fascination with Rick drive her to witness and document a forbidden romance. Through her eyes, the audience experiences how the experience shapes her understanding of love, loss, and the price of growing up.

• alice bloom
• observer
• ten year old
• protagonist
• narrator

Sheryl O'Connor is a seventeen-year-old girl who becomes the focal point of desire and conflict after forming a forbidden bond with Rick. She navigates maternal restrictions and social rumors while wrestling between a hopeful future and familial duty. Her pregnancy intensifies the pressures around love, loyalty, and the desire to leave home.

• sheryl oconnor
• alexandra roach
• teenage girl
• pregnancy

Rick is a charming counter boy portrayed by James Corden, drawn to Sheryl despite the social risks. He leads a group that ultimately encloses the lovers in danger from neighborhood judgment. His loyalty to Sheryl grows as circumstances push them toward a risky plan to be together, embodying impulsive romance tempered by the realities of social consequences.

• rick
• james corden
• counter boy
• romantic interest

Word travels fast in the close-knit community, turning private moments into public spectacle. The rumor mill drives characters to mask truths and protect appearances, often at personal cost. Observation becomes a tool that shapes choices and fates, with the gossip-driven society amplifying the stakes of every intimate decision.

• gossip
• rumors
• community
• society
• public spectacle

Sheryl's pregnancy and her mother's reaction reveal how family duties and obligation govern individual desires. The film explores the pressure to conform, the consequences of defiance, and the fragile bonds that hold a family together under strain. Community judgment magnifies the stakes of intimate decisions, showing how family reputation shapes every choice.

• family
• pregnancy
• consequences
• parenting
• obligation

Alice watches the adults with a wary, growing curiosity as she navigates her own awakening. The film traces her shift from passive observer to active participant in a decision she cannot control. Innocence is tested by witnessing love, loss, and the first seeds of responsibility, marking her transition into adulthood.

• coming of age
• growing up
• innocence
• alice
• maturation

The community is intimate and quick to gossip, with reputations shaped by rigid expectations. The seaside suburb creates a backdrop where daily rhythms revolve around family reputation and neighborhood scrutiny. This environment forces characters to navigate between their personal desires and the strict social code that governs their lives.

• community
• suburb
• social dynamics
• neighbors
• reputation

The journey takes characters upstate to an unwed mothers' home, highlighting the geographic pull of escape and consequence. This location represents the alternative path available to Sheryl and serves as a physical manifestation of the societal solution to forbidden pregnancy in that era. The contrast between the seaside suburb and upstate New York underscores the story's exploration of judgment versus redemption.

• upstate new york
• unwed mothers home
• location
• escape