In Search of a Midnight Kiss

Introduction

Alone and depressed on New Year's Eve, Wilson's (Scoot McNairy) day gets off to a bad start when he is caught masturbating over a Photoshopped picture of his best friend's girlfriend by them but fortunately, he thinks it's amusing and she is slightly flattered.

With his last relationship ending six years ago Min and Jacob (Kathleen Luong and Brian McGuire) take pity on him and persuade him to put an personal ad on Craigs List. Not exactly enthused by the idea, Wilson begins it with "Misanthrope seeks Misanthrope" and doesn't think anything will happen. Whilst he is on the phone to his mother, Vivian (Sara Simmonds) calls up and they arrange to meet, her telling him that she's 300lb and into bondage.

Wilson shows up and they chat, with Vivian claiming she's 17 and accusing Wilson of thinking about statutory rape, before coming clean and saying she's actually 27. She agrees to spend time with him but gives a cut off time saying that the date will end at 6pm. What follows is a funny and touching trip through LA as they get to know each other.

Video

Beautifully shot in monochrome - it would have to be as this film would simply not work in colour - and filmed guerrilla style, without permits and with a minimal crew. The transfer is good, though the source material is not great, the film is well presented with deep blacks and good contrast.

Audio

The soundtrack is wonderfully clear and presents the dialogue well though some parts, like messages on the answering machine are a little hard to make out. The choice of music is inspired with some lovely songs by Shearwater and music by Paleo.

Extra Features

The commentary features the director, main actors and members of the crew - some of whom worked on both sides of the camera and is an informative and lively listen.

There are 7 deleted and extended scenes, which are better out of the film than in, a very brief making of that fails to add anything that I didn't learn from the commentary and the theatrical trailer.

Conclusion

I really wasn't looking forward to watching this and put it off as long as I could - the title and synopsis make it sound like a horribly syrupy romantic comedy. I'm glad to say that I was wrong as I loved this film - it reminded me a lot of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset - indeed Richard Linklater is thanked in the end credits and there is a degree of Manhattan, evident even down to the black and white photography.

Far from being a predictable and nauseating experience, the film is a delight as Scoot McNairy and Sara Simmonds seem to really believe in their characters which makes them all the more plausible and people you care about. Like Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in Linklater's films, they have a natural rapport that comes across and there is plenty of witty and acerbic dialogue.

This was a film I wasn't expecting to like, which makes it all the more pleasing that I watched it and enjoyed every minute. In Search of a Midnight Kiss is a terrific film that I highly recommend.