Review: ‘The Midnight Swim’ is hypnotic.

THE MIDNIGHT SWIM

THE MIDNIGHT SWIM, which world premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival in 2014 and went on to win the Breakthrough Audience Award from AFI Fest and Best Feature Film from the Denver International Film Festival, marked the debut feature of Sarah Adina Smith (Buster’s Mal Heart, 2016; Birds of Paradise, 2021). The film follows half-sisters Isa, June, and Annie in the wake of the disappearance of their mother, Dr. Amelia Brooks, during a deep-water dive in Spirit Lake. The three women decide to travel home to settle her affairs, where they accidentally summon a local ghost and find themselves drawn deeper into the mysteries of the lake as their relationship begins to unravel.


Folklore and family meld too well in The Midnight Swim. You won’t know where one ends and the other begins. As we watch this story unfold all in “found footage” from Annie’s vintage camera. It becomes clear that their relationships with their mother were complex and dark. Grief manifests in a variety of ways, but the most successful aspect as strange things begin to occur is the connection between the three sisters. Aleksa PalladinoLindsay BurdgeJennifer Lafleur pull you into the film like sirens. There is tension, adoration, irritation, and unadulterated fun that happens amid weirdness. Did their mother drown, or was it suicide? These discussions are ongoing. We discover Annie is/was unwell, never specified in the film. We see this in her solitude when the camera is pointed at her, predominantly in mirrors, as she is the film’s “cinematographer.” We’re tipped off in moments when the girls explain that she only eats alone, when she pretends to be a stranger calling her deceased mother’s office and then begins to take “night swims” she cannot recall until time-lapse footage appears the following mornings.

Strangely enough, one of my favorite scenes is the only earnest tension breaker in the film. It’s an oddly placed music video performed by the sisters. Each has a chance to show off their personalities. It’s seemingly something they did as children, and like the rest of the film, it lands somewhere between enchanting and creepy as hell. The set’s dressing, particularly the bedrooms, have a candy-colored aesthetic to them. Laura Ashley-Esque prints against morose faces unsettle your body. The story of the ill-fated seven sisters becomes more intriguing once you realize the ancient origins apply both to the sea and stars. While writer-director Sarah Adina Smith‘s film ultimately leaves us with more questions than answers, it’s a film that is impossible to shake.


Pre-sale on collector’s BluRay launches Jan. 1, on Digital and VOD Jan. 25, 2022


Review: ‘The Dark End Of The Street’ will capture your attention.

Set in an idyllic, suburban community where someone is killing other residents’ pets, The Dark End of the Street focuses on several characters over the course of one long night: a lonely woman mourning her dog, the culprit committing the violent acts, an overly concerned family man, and restless teenagers. And over this night, their worlds will intertwine in ways none of them ever could have expected.

Even though made on a micro-budget, talent looms large in The Dark End of the Street. In a cool 70 minutes, this film tackles paranoia, generational differences, hard life choices, typical suburban teen life, family dynamics, all against the backdrop of an unknown neighborhood sociopath. The screenplay feels reminiscent of other great vignette films like Playing By Heart and GO. Performances, a few from faces you will recognize from various projects big and small, are all wonderful. There is a beautiful level of intimacy woven into the scenes. You are instantly drawn into the lives of each character. These are conversations, or some form of them, that we’ve experienced. They discuss safety, the longing for recaptured youth, boredom, impending parenthood, and the death of a life once lived.  Despite the implicated (never actually shown) violence, The Dark End Of The Street is universally relatable. Coupled with interesting cinematography that shows an eye for detail, Kevin Tran’s little indie drama is incredibly impactful.

Gravitas Venture is releasing The Dark End of the Street nationwide on VOD today, August 11th.

The Dark End of the Street stars Scott Friend, Lindsay Burdge, Brooke Bloom, Jim Parrack, Michael Cyril Creighton, Jennifer Kim, Daniel K. Isaac, Anthony Chisholm, and Rod Luzzi.
It is written and directed by Kevin TRAN.
Color
English Language
70 minutes
Not Rated

Review: ‘Thirst Street’… Just Look Up “Thirsty” On Urban Dictionary

Thirst Street

Theatrical Release (NYC): September 20, 2017

Theatrical Release (LA): September 29, 2017

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

Alone and depressed after the suicide of her lover, American flight attendant Gina (Lindsay Burdge) travels to Paris and hooks up with nightclub bartender Jerome (Damien Bonnard) on her layover. But as Gina falls deeper into lust and opts to stay in France, this harmless rendezvous quickly turns into unrequited amour fou. When Jerome’s ex Clemence (Esther Garrel) reenters the picture, Gina is sent on a downward spiral of miscommunication, masochism, and madness. Inspired by European erotic dramas from the ’70s, Thirst Street burrows deep into the delirious extremes we go to for love.

Thirsty
1. Too eager to get something (especially play)
2. Desperate
That is the Urban Dictionary definition for “thirsty.” Boy it is spot on for this film. Thirst Street is one trippy ride down the rabbit hole of obsession. The film is set in Paris, but not the romanticized verizon commonly seen in movies, but it’s darker edge. The director did a great job finding that darker tone with the characters and night clubs throughout the film. The plot is right out of a guy’s nightmare. Gina (Lindsay Burdge) hooks-up with Jerome (Damien Bonnard), a random guy from a club, and slowly becomes “a stage five clinger.” Yikes! She goes to extremes trying to keep Jerome for herself. Lindsay Burdge is actually the best part of this movie! She killed it. She certainly made us feel that she is this obsessive, crazy one night hookup you are desperately trying to get rid of. Thirst Street is labeled a drama, but for some guys, it could be viewed as a horror. Would we recommend going to theaters to see it? No. Save your money. It could be a Netflix hidden gem to watch one day, hopefully not with a date though… we don’t want them getting any ideas.

Reel ROB Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review for them!