> In Search of a Midnight Kiss
Directed by: Alex Holdridge
Cast: Scoot McNairy, Sara Simmonds, Brian McGuire, Kathleen Luong, Twink Caplan, Robert Murphy
Rating: M
4 stars (out of 5)
Review by Mark Orton
As an indie romance tale, In Search of a Midnight Kiss (ISOAMK) doesn't scrimp on production values or talent.
On New Year's Eve in Los Angeles, struggling writer Wilson (Scoot McNairy) begrudgingly takes his friend's advice and agrees to post a profile on a dating site.
What happens next is a rollercoaster ride of romance and musings on the state of metropolitan singles.
Wilson's accomplice in his quest for connection is troubled actress Vivian (Sara Simmonds).
Simmonds' slightly unhinged thespian and McNairy's neurotic everyman are phenomenal characters that continue to grow as they slowly deconstruct one another.
Along with the central pairing, director Alex Holdridge adds an all-important third character, Los Angeles.
Filming entirely in lush black-and-white, the camera wafts through the seedier parts of the City of Angels, dwelling on architectural details as an interested tourist might.
What at first appears to be a formulaic comment on i-relationships turns out to be one of the most enthralling and bittersweet films of the year.
After struggling out of the starting gates like a Seth Rogan slacker flick, ISOAMK (Metro) thankfully owes a whole lot more to Jim Jarmusch than Judd Apatow.
Best thing: A vision of Los Angeles we seldom see
Worst thing: A few too many unintended references to Before Sunrise
See it with: A date; it will leave you plenty to talk about afterwards.
