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When it comes to unrelentingly bleak and suspenseful thrillers, South Korean cinema reigns supreme. Especially when serial killers enter the equation, with a cat and mouse chase that’ll leave all parties irrevocably changed. Kwon Oh-seung‘s debut feature, Midnight, enters the pantheon of breathless thrillers, delivering a propulsive, unpredictable film that’s lighter than most of its ilk but no less intense or well crafted.
After a long workday, Kyung-mi (Ki-joo Jin) meets with her mother (Hae-yeon Kil). They discuss their plans to take a trip while embarking on their regular nightly routine, unaware that they’ve both caught the notice of Do-Sik (Wi Ha-Joon), a mysterious serial killer that’s been stalking their neighborhood. Do-Sik hasn’t even finished with his current victim, So-jung (Kim Hye-Yoon), when he targets Kyung-mi, presuming her deafness will make her an easy mark. That’s before So-jung breaks free just long enough to put Kyung-mi’s guard up, sparking a twisted game where the killer hides in plain sight.
Writer/Director Kwon Oh-seung never fails to find innovative ways to keep the story moving at a brisk clip while taking unexpected turns. Much of it revolves around Kyung-mi’s fighting spirit and forced adaptability thanks to a society that doesn’t know what to do with her. After her encounter with the bloodied So-jung, she runs straight for a well-lit area that allows her to call for aid immediately, but her hearing impairment means she can’t hear the police answer her call. The darkly lit backstreet means she didn’t get a good look at her assailant, either. Enter So-jung’s brother (Park Hoon), desperate to find her, and a pair of clueless but well-intentioned patrolmen, and you have an unpredictable scenario that forces Do-Sik to find new ways to evade suspicion and continue his pursuit.
The way the filmmaker utilizes space and systematically corners his heroine makes Midnight stand out. Kyung-mi escapes an overtly dangerous-looking area in the inciting event but then breathlessly works to shut down all possible means of escape, prompting brutal confrontation. Spaces that should offer safety get corrupted. Thanks to an uncaring and uneducated public, wide open spaces that should give our protagonist a reprieve leave her the most vulnerable. Kyung-mi and her mother are entirely on their own in this lethal plight.
Wi Ha-Joon is suitably deranged; Do-Sik takes great pleasure at his unhinged violence. Ki-joo Jin more than holds her own as a capable protagonist that’s quick-thinking yet highly vulnerable. The true star here, however, belongs to the sound design. It becomes a character itself. It simultaneously works to put the viewer in its lead’s shoes with deafening silence or expose her vulnerability by highlighting noises that she doesn’t know she’s making, therefore triggering danger.
While Midnight does keep you gripped in Kyung-mi’s constant attempts to evade and escape, it never gets as bleak or as vicious as its contemporaries. Do-Sik spends much of the narrative trying to capture his newest target, therefore forgetting to finish off his previous prey in So-jung. It’s background news reports and Wi Ha-joon’s sadistic portrayal that’s meant to sell how dangerous this character is. The longer Kyung-mi thwarts Do-Sik, the more the stakes decrease. A low body count and a more than capable heroine, despite many breathless scenarios, begin to make Do-Sik look slightly inept after a while.
Still, Midnight keeps you invested and sheds a glaring, confrontational light on society’s indifference. More importantly, Kwon Oh-seung impresses with a propulsive, thrilling debut that makes creative use of sound. Even if the destination feels more like a safer bet, the journey getting there takes surprising and oft intense detours that easily make it one worth taking.
