The movie you are likely referring to is *Coherence* (2013), a science fiction thriller where a group of friends experience a mysterious blackout during a dinner party on the night a comet passes overhead. The power outage plunges their neighborhood into darkness except for one house that remains lit. As the blackout unfolds, strange and unsettling events begin to occur, revealing that the comet has caused multiple overlapping realities or parallel universes to intersect. The characters discover that moving through certain dark areas outside can transport them into alternate versions of their reality, leading to confusion, paranoia, and conflict among doubles of themselves. The film explores themes of quantum physics, identity, and the fragility of reality in a simple yet mind-bending narrative[1][2].
In *Coherence*, the blackout is not just a loss of electricity but a catalyst for the breakdown of normal reality. The friends use candles and glow sticks to navigate the darkness, and some venture out to a nearby house with lights to seek help or answers. One character, Hugh, has a physicist brother who had warned him to call if anything strange happened during the comet’s passing. This connection to quantum theory is central to the plot, as the characters try to understand the bizarre phenomena they face. They even create a test involving photographs and random objects to determine which versions of themselves belong to which reality. The tension escalates as they encounter their doubles and struggle with trust and survival[1].
Another notable work involving a mysterious blackout affecting a town or society is the TV series *Revolution* (2012–2014). This series is set 15 years after a permanent global blackout that caused the collapse of modern civilization. The story follows revolutionaries fighting against a tyrannical militia in a post-apocalyptic United States where electricity no longer works. The blackout in *Revolution* is permanent and unexplained initially, leading to societal breakdown, the rise of militias, and a struggle for power and survival. The series delves into the consequences of losing electricity on a large scale and the human conflicts that arise in such a world[3].
While *Coherence* focuses on a localized, mysterious blackout linked to a cosmic event and its quantum effects on reality, *Revolution* presents a broader dystopian scenario where the blackout is permanent and reshapes society entirely. Both explore the theme of a blackout but in very different contexts and storytelling styles.
There are other films and stories involving blackouts, but *Coherence* is the most distinctive for its combination of a mysterious blackout with a dinner party setting and the exploration of parallel realities triggered by a comet. This makes it a unique and memorable example of the genre where a town or neighborhood experiences a strange blackout with profound and surreal consequences[1][2][3].
