Midnight
Son
Not
a sparkle fairy in sight
Afflicted
by a rare, potentially fatal, condition that makes him allergic to sunlight,
shy, sensitive Jacob (Zak Kilberg) works solitary nights as a security
guard in an anonymous office block, spends his days cocooned in the safety of
his almost bunker-like basement flat, obsessively painting the vibrant,
remembered sunsets he can no longer witness. Lately he’s been having trouble with his appetite; no matter
how much he eats, he’s never full.
He’s started eating his meat rarer. Plagued by stomach pain he finds his hunger satiated when
he’s driven to drink animal blood he buys from his local butcher.
One
night, outside a bar, he meets the beautiful, hedonistic but troubled Mary (Maya
Parish). Kindred spirits, the two are drawn to
each other, enter into a tentative romance, fall in love. But as his relationship with Mary grows
so does Jacob’s craving for blood, forcing him into the sleazy, twilight world
of corrupt medical orderly Marcus (Jo D. Jonz) who sells packs of human blood out of
the back door of the hospital.
With his secret becoming harder both to conceal and to control, the
brutal murder of a woman in his building brings Jacob to the attention of a suspicious
police detective (Larry Cedar)…
A tight,
subtle, intelligent vampire movie for grown-ups with fantastic performances
from its two unknown leads, Midnight Son is the perfect antidote to the anaemic Twilight saga; a smart, sexy, moody
and genuinely swooningly romantic film that doesn’t skimp on the blood and
horror. Shot in cool, nocturnal
blues, writer/director Scott Leberecht’s debut feature eschews shoegazing,
glittery skinned emos in favour of a realistic, psychological approach to the
vampire myth more akin to George A. Romero’s classic 1976 Martin than to Stephanie Meyer’s oeuvre, the film refusing
to overtly clarify the true nature of Jacob’s bloodlust for much of the
film. Is he a vampire or just a
very disturbed young man? Similarly,
Jacob’s growing taste for blood is subtly juxtaposed with the damaged Mary’s
drug dependency allowing the film to comment on the nature of addiction and
co-dependency. As blood dealing
wannabee gangsta Marcus says: “Everyone got their thing.” Whether it’s drugs, blood or love, we
all need something to get us through the night.
While
cult favourite Tracey Walter appears in a rare non-weirdo role as the
sympathetic janitor Jacob works with, most of the cast are relative
novices. As the hustling Marcus,
Jonz is a silkily seductive antagonist for Jacob, there dealer/addict
relationship refreshingly amusing, but the film’s true strength lies in the
touchingly hesitant, naturalistic romance between Parish and Kilberg’s
characters, their encounters owing more to awkwardness, embarrassment and
longing than the usual Anne Rice suave Eurotrash romantic image of the
vampire. As the damaged Mary,
Parish makes a spiky but vulnerable heroine while Kilberg’s Jacob is charming
and sensitive. Their love story
captivates because of its normality and the chemistry between the two is sweet
and believable.
Refreshing
and understated, Midnight Son is a wistful adult romance with real bite. And not a sparkle fairy in sight.
David Watson
Directed by:
Written by:
Produced by:
Starring:
Zak
Kilberg, Maya Parish, Jo D. Jonz, Tracey Walter,
Arlen Escarpeta, Larry Cedar,
Kevin McCorkle
and Juanita Jennings
Genres:
Adventure,
Drama, Horror, Romance, Thriller
Language:
English
Runtime:
1 hour 28 minutes
Certificate:
18
Year
2011
UK Cinema Release Date:
Friday 11th January 2013
Rating:
5/5
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