Peter Snowden (David Oyelowo) is working a frustrating job in a local grocery, and living in his mother's home. Right from the beginning, we learn that Peter is struggling with something, that he has made a decision he regrets but cannot change. Although I will leave Peter's story for the viewer to discover, it's a relief that screenwriter Frederick Mensch does not try to hide the truth from the audience -- keeping Peter's problems a secret would require too much effort for almost no payoff. Instead, the film focuses on Peter's attempt to get ahold of his friend Edward, another veteran who is out of the service and living with his wife and child. Through video blogs that Peter is recording and posting online, we learn more about his current psychological state, as he discusses his job, his memory of what the Army was like, and how he feels about the world around him. He also receives a number of phone calls, from his sister, from his mother's friends and acquaintances, and he himself calls out in hopes of reaching Edward.

Many screenplays, especially a screenplay centered around a single character, have a tendency to focus on conveying a thematic point or idea through the character, but Mensch stays on Peter, whose interactions with the video camera paint a picture of who he is, not the world around him. Nightingale is not an overtly anti-war movie, or a movie making sweeping statements about veterans, or politics, or questioning on a societal level where people like Peter come from. It is simply the portrait of a specific, lonely man whose misanthropy and bitterness only isolate him further from the world. Although Peter leaves his mother's house to go to work and to shop, director Elliott Lester parallels the way we are shown Peter with the way Peter feels: alone. Throughout the entire film, we never truly see Peter with another human being, and only twice do we even hear someone other than Peter (both instances of which actually feel like a minor disappointment, as at least one could've been presented silently).

Yet, it's not just Lester's camera that isolates Peter -- if that part of the visuals were all that mattered, a single chair on an empty stage might be even more effective. Instead, the cinematography and production design bring the home around Peter into sharp relief as he pokes his head into every nook and cranny. His mother's colorful wallpaper, her pipe organ, and the litany of religious posters and figurines all serve as a reminder for Peter as to how moored he is. The house is clogged with stagnant memories, summarized by the belongings of a person whose life has become settled and complacent. Peter has a grand vision for himself and what his future will hold, but everywhere he looks he can't help but feel limited, suffocated, stuck in place. Peter also discovers a box on the porch one day with one of his mother's purchases: a three-way vanity mirror. Peter puts it on the kitchen table and stares into it, his face reflected back at him from three slightly different angles. He declares his mother vain, but he leaves it there for the rest of the film, all while continuing to record video blogs about his life for the rest of the world to see. As we watch Peter occupy different rooms and even changing them to try and feel better, there's a sense that he could not feel as trapped and boxed in were his journey seen in the open-ended environment of an auditorium.

Of course, all the symbolism and visual storytelling in the world would be meaningless if the film was cast poorly, but David Oyelowo is mesmerizing in the role. Early in the film, Peter practices a conversation he hopes to have with Edward as he works up the courage to try and call him, taking multiple approaches in quick succession, yet through no other cues but pauses and tone, there's no mistaking when he stops practicing and actually hits "dial." In the subsequent conversation and several others, Oyelowo is not just playing Peter, but through Peter's reactions, he makes characters who are never seen or heard feel not just real but distinct, conveying a clear picture of the reaction his comments are receiving. When Peter is alone, he captures little nuances and tics, turning on a dime from pleasant to agitated, providing of when Peter is telling the truth and when he's lying to himself. As the film reaches a dramatic peak, Peter sits in a bright teal-green dining room, dressed in a burgundy suit, talking on the telephone. The visuals dazzle, the performance stuns, and it feels whole, a perfect synthesis of simplicity and complexity in service of story and character.

The DVD
Nightingale comes in a white eco-friendly Amaray case that helps emphasize the wild, psychedelic color pattern laid over Oyelowo's face, which makes up the entire front cover image. The back cover, likewise, is a single still of Oyelowo, in a similarly vivid bathrobe, sitting alone on a bed. Inside the case, there is the closest thing the set has to an extra: this standard definition DVD comes with a high-definition digital copy, so those who are mostly interested in seeing the film digitally may opt to buy the DVD version and then give away or resell the disc while keeping the digital copy instead of purchasing the film digitally and not receiving a disc. (The film has also been released on Blu-ray.)

The Video and Audio
Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound track, Nightingale looks fine on DVD, but it feels like a slightly half-hearted effort given there is nothing else on the disc to take up space. Colors are generally vivid, and no obvious compression artifacts intrude on the presentation, but the cinematography has a soft, film-like look that does not translate entirely well to SD, appearing more soft than textured, giving off the impression of black crush when the lighting is simply intricate. The surround sound is far more effective, with so much of the storytelling coming through silence, the tone of Oyelowo's voice, and the music, which surrounds the viewer and envelops them into the film's lonely world. The disc also includes Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks in French and Spanish, as well as English, French, Latin Spanish, and complex Chinese subtitles, and English captions for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The Extras
None.

Conclusion
A hallmark of stage performance is projection, whether that's the actor modulating his performance to match the auditorium, or even the theatricality of musicals. Nightingale is a uniquely cinematic piece of work that nonetheless takes a cue from that kind of theatricality, reducing that projection to an intimate scale without decreasing its impact, and bringing the film's visual style and look into play in a way that couldn't be replicated were it turned into a play. On top of that, even those oblivious to some of the movie's stylistic flourishes will be floored by Oyelowo, who gives an incredible performance. Highly recommended.