In the grand tradition of Hush or Wait Until Dark, a woman with a hearing impairment becomes the target of a serial killer. That’s the premise of Kwon Oh-Seung’s debut film, one that draws inspiration from Korea’s own I Saw the Devil and through to overt references to The Shining.
In MIDNIGHT (미드나이트), actor Jin Ki-Joo (Little Forest) stars as Kyung-Mi, a deaf young woman working as a sign interpreter in a call centre. After walking out of a client party that’s filled with toxic masculinity, she picks up her mother (Gil Hae-Yeon). Yet their paths intersect with serial killer Do-Sik (Wi Ha-Joon), who is interrupted from completing his latest kill.
Accompanying Kyung-Mi and her mother to the police station, they are unaware that Do-Sik is the killer and is determined to get them both out of the way. So begins a series of gaslighting moments, cat and mouse chases, and so many jump scares.
Stylishly lit and solidly cast, Kwon’s film works best when the audience is one step ahead of the would-be victims. There’s a lengthy sequence set in the police station that’s paced like a stage production. People come and go, suspicions are cast in the wrong direction, and Do-Sik manages to pull the wool over everybody’s eyes but Kyung-Mi’s mother. (Always listen to your mother). Her hearing impairment plays into some of the drama, in that people are unwilling to listen to her frantic attempts at communication. It’s here that the film plays expertly with anticipation and keeps us on the edge for as long as possible.
Still, it never really develops much beyond this. While Kwon is careful not to exploit Kyong-Mi’s impairment, there are very few instances where it serves the plot. Yes, the addition of non-verbal communication gives Kyung-Mi and her mother a one-up on the killer, but everything else is a bit repetitive. Kwon uses sound and its absence for occasional shocks, for example, but squanders it as Kyung-Mi almost runs into traffic at least three times.
While it would have been ideal to cast a non-hearing actor in the lead role, Jin Ki-Joo gives a solid performance. She reportedly did some intensive study of sign language to take the part, and brings an earnestness to the part that makes her something more than a continual victim at the hands of Do-sik. The latter is creepily played by Wi Ha-Joon, who is no stranger to scares in films such as Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum.
The final 20 minutes or so are some of the most tense in any thriller you’re likely to see, even if some of it staggers belief. It’s a chase at its most basic level, but as tables are turned Kwon lets us know he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve. It’s a promising start for a first film and we’ll be keen to see what he has in store for us next.
MIDNIGHT is reviewed as part of our coverage for both the New York Asian Film Festival 2021 and Fantasia Festival 2021.
2021 | South Korea | DIRECTOR: Kwon Oh-seung | WRITER: Kwon Oh-seung | CAST: Jin Ki-joo, Kim Hye-yoon, Park Hoon, Wi Ha-jun | DISTRIBUTOR: FINECUT, Fantasia Festival 2021, NYAFF 2021 | RUNNING TIME: 120 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 5-25 August 2021 (Fantasia 2021), 6-22 August 2021 (NYAFF 2021)
