A relentless serial killer. A young deaf woman. A cat-and-mouse chase. A society that cannot hear her cries for help. An edge-of-your-seat thriller from debut writer and director Kwon Oh-seung in the great tradition of Korean thrillers.
"Kwon Oh-seung's debut feature, Midnight, [is] a breathless tale reminiscent of The Chaser, where a Machiavellian antagonist poses a constant threat even when unmasked."
Screened as part of NZIFF 2021
Midnight 2021
Mideunaiteu
Kyung-mi (Jin Ki-joo), a young deaf woman, is frustrated at being constantly ignored, especially by the speaking colleagues at her customer service job. Frustration becomes terror when, walking alone one night to meet her mother, she happens upon a shocking crime. Lured down an alleyway after spotting a discarded high-heeled shoe, she interrupts the latest murder by masked serial killer, Do-Shik (Wi Ha-joon). Handsome and manipulative, the killer knows just how to exert his male privilege to evade suspicion and exploit Kyung-mi’s disability and insecurities, marking her as his next target.
Kwon Oh-seung delivers a highly accomplished first feature, revving up the film’s tension from its opening minutes and keeping the pedal down throughout. Jin gives a strong performance as the tenacious survivor, playing off Wi’s equally impressive turn as an insidiously charming sociopath.
Technically masterful, sharp editing and excellent sound design put the audience in Kyung-mi’s shoes, along with the unease of being preyed upon by a murderer who knows she cannot hear him. — Vicci Ho