Gutsycurene
Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.
Myron Clemons
A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Marva-nova
Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
MaxDoc
Yet another low budget film, having so much depth & grasp for the audiencethe "realtime" vampire movie. gives much thrill, as all the recent vampire movies are failed to do so, expelling, touching, full of suspense, brilliant acting making it a masterpiece in vampire cult series..main lead in all the way acting of yet unknown Zak Kilberg drives the film brilliantly to End. the directors pro-founding with their actors are really expelling.. first of all the real vampire story with not much of action but throughout grappling suspense quite give me the new look at the "vampire being" particularly.. after so called vampires clan Cullen (from Twilight series)just "jumping on trees" :P.characters of the film are not so much defined for the audience as the plot goes on, instead love-lock between main-lead also provided affection to the questioning "what is gonna happen" first rule of a suspense film giving the audience so much Q that they got struck with the actions going on. and its providing all of it. highly recommended for not only suspense lovers, but to vampires .. see what is a vampire??
george.schmidt
MIDNIGHT SON (2011) ***1/2 Zak Kilberg, Maya Parish, Larry Cedar, Jo D. Jonz, Tracey Walter, Arlen Escarpeta. Newcomer filmmaker Scott Leberecht has skillfully concocted one of the best, scariest and most 'human' vampire films I've seen in years (since "LET ME IN", the American remake of "LET THE RIGHT ONE IN" with its clever and original premise : an introverted young man (nicely and conflictingly portrayed by the handsome Kilberg who has a slight resemblance to Jude Law), an overnite security guard in LA whose sudden health issues unleashes an unearthly hunger that cannot be appeased until his desire to slake this sudden onset craving for blood (!) To add insult to injury he meets a beautiful club girl (the ethereally sexy Parish who has some serious acting chops on display here!) whose cocaine habit also adds peril to their budding relationship as the two strangers. What will finally divide them – her addiction, or his (!) – is what the stakes raised in this beautifully tragic romantic thriller that wisely avoids the "TWILIGHT"-ization bastardization of the genre and sharply gets under the skin with its all-too real/surreal look at what makes a person come into their own: fear, acceptance and the thread of connecting with another. Case in point on the latter : the sequence when Parish and Kilberg bond over her noticing his artistic talent with some very vividly haunting paintings sold this movie to me as being REAL and investing myself in their pain and loneliness ; truly some master acting. Leberecht weaves a finely attuned tapestry of humor, heartbreak and horror with élan and the cast as a whole works wonders (i.e. Jonz' as a sinister and unlikely aide-de-camp to Kilberg's scoring of human blood : a disgruntled hospital attendee with some dark, brooding undercurrents and the film's true kudo to casting veteran character actor Walter as Kilberg's janitor co-worker who truly sums up the film in his metaphor of the doomed young man's 'transformation' ala the butterfly from chrysalis!) Echoes of Romero's "MARTIN" and Cronenberg (the tenderhooks romance of "THE FLY" ; seriously Parish has hypnotized me with her gentle-yet-tough exterior turn that rivals Geena Davis). A must see(k) for horror film aficionados and just plain film lovers in general! One of the year's best!
RockDragon
Got to see this at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Wasn't really expecting a whole lot, as these are generally low budget movies. Except, this film ended up being the type that transcends the need for a large budget.Can a movie about Vampires feel plausible? This one can. Everything was done with subtlety and grace, there was no need for suspension of disbelief. There were no unbelievable premises, sparkles or holy water.Ultimately, there are lots of issues that could be applied allegorically to this particular brand of vampirism. It could have been a story about AIDS, Drug Addiction or Religious Zealots. Any condition, communicable, debilitating and ostracizing.The casting was great, characters seemed organic and multifaceted. Everyone has their flaws and they are better for it. This is a gritty, raw film which never treats the audience like idiots. Never causes one to ask why, or shake their head in idle disbelief. It is smart and honest, authentic and unyielding.A great first full length effort which will hopefully propel the careers of all involved.
lisacarrera
Watched this last night at San Francisco's Hole in the Head Festival held at the Roxie Theater. Film way exceeded my expectations. Love the needling pace that works on the mind and builds tension, slowly, throughout. Well-acted. Great casting. Main actor reminded me of a more soul-less Robert Pattison. Clever storyline for an old world theme. A few scenes were abruptly edited but as a whole seemed to work as it left a lot to the imagination. I felt chills run up my spine and eked out a few edge-of-the-seat screams as I grabbed the arm of the guy sitting next to me. Would definitely see this film again. Highly recommended.
