Midnight Sonder

This is quite an odd film in a number of ways. It's beautifully shot and most of the principal performances aren't at all bad (Evan Jones as the lead character, Roderic, mumbles his way through the movie, clearly not confident in what he's doing).

The problem arises with the turgid dialogue and the story, which is convoluted and just downright silly in places. Most of the film is a set-up for the odd ending, which lacks any tension or resolution.

While Mayuren Naidoo's direction and camera work are to be greatly applauded, his skills as a writer and editor leave much to be desired. Superfluous scenes, characters who do nothing to move the narrative along - Naidoo's script is flabby and uninspiring.

Midnight Sonder isn't a complete train-wreck - it's just capable of being so much more with some TLC.

It's hard not to respect the effort put into this low budget film. The narrative is a showcase for good performances and direction; dividing itself between two distinct characters. The supporting players on both sides of the story round out a varied and well chosen cast. The cinematography is particularly impressive, there are a number of night time scenes that look great.

Personally I was engaged (enough to re-watch it multiple times) because it strives to be something different - breaking any feel of convention, I never felt like I knew where it was going.

Compared to other films of this level, Midnight Sonder has a craft and voice to it that is seldom seen.