Twelve months of filming the city after midnight.

The creator told us the edit took longer than the shoot. Every cut was argued over, and it shows in how little is wasted. The edit was built around the music rather than the other way round, which gives the whole piece a steady, walking rhythm.

What the night shows

We like how little the film explains. It trusts you to notice things, and it rewards you when you do. The best moments were accidents: a dog crossing the frame, a bus arriving early, a laugh nobody planned.

Nothing here was staged. The crew set up, waited, and filmed what happened, which took more patience than any script would. The creator shot this in the gaps between a day job and a long commute, a few minutes at a time over most of a year.

• Empty streets at three
• Drivers who know every stop
• The first light over the depot

Behind the scenes, the set was held together with tape, string and a surprising number of clothes pegs. There is no dialogue for most of the running time, and it never needs any. The pictures carry the story on their own.

Colour was kept deliberately muted until the last minute, which makes the final shot land even harder. Look closely at the background of the second half. Most of what makes the scene work happens behind the main action.

The last bus has the best stories.

Rafa Quintero, street desk

We asked what advice they would give a first-time filmmaker. The answer was short: finish things, then show them to people. The music was recorded live in the same space, on the same afternoon, which is why it fits the pictures so well.