The big picture
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After midnight
cleverly combines romance and horror to explore the complexities of heartbreak, using romantic flashbacks to highlight the contrast with the protagonist's current dire situation. - The film keeps the viewer guessing with unexpected plot twists and an unidentified creature that adds tension and speculation, leaving us to wonder if this is a physical manifestation of the protagonist's trauma.
- In a climactic scene, the monster's sudden appearance shatters the sense of security, providing vindication for the protagonist and a satisfying resolution that bridges romantic reconciliation and triumphant clarity.
It would be fair to regard heartbreak as a particularly personal type of horror, and After midnight use this concept to your advantage. The horror drama directed by Jeremy Gardner i Christian Stellaand starring Gardner and Brea Grant cleverly fuses the conventions used by romantic dramas and creature features to create something entirely new. During the film's fast-paced run, both the conflict between the strange main couple and the threats of an unidentified beast of the night come to a head in a surprising and original ending, lending confidence to this new complementary genre in contrast
“After Midnight” uses the horror genre to explore heartbreak
Love and horror might not seem like an obvious pairing, though After midnight use these themes to explore the many aspects of a romantic partner. The film opens with a dreamlike flashback to the early days of Hank (Gardner) and Abby's (Grant) relationship as they plan a cozy night out for their birthday at the house they've inherited. Cut to the present day, and Hank is in this same space, but now raw and naked; he is alone It transpires that Abby made a sudden exit from their home and their life together, without prior warning to Hank, or so he feels. However, struggling with heartbreak and isolation are not the only problems she faces. To the skepticism of the small town where he resides, Hank has been fending off a night visitor, in the form of an unnamed, mostly invisible beast. This beast prowls the house, repeatedly trying to get in and attack Hank, who is on a couch behind the front door, armed and ready with his gun.
After midnight he is adept at juxtaposing flashback scenes that feature the romantic highlights of Abby and Hank's relationship with scenes of menace and violence. By perfectly contrasting these moments of horror with highly romanticized love, Hank's dire situation is emphasized, thus transforming his aching pain into horror. The visceral human horror of isolation, abandonment, and rejection is played out here, and his nocturnal struggles with the unidentified creature are a metaphor for Hank's attempts to process the relationship while dwelling on the echoes of its remains shredded The frequent comparisons between the couple's idyllic past and Hank's nightmarish present also hint that all was not perfect between the two, with the dark monster acting as an ugly symptom of their untreated relationship problems.
“After Midnight” keeps the viewer guessing all the way through
A little over halfway through the movie, Abby returns. This unexpected development abruptly changes the tone of the film, because his existence has been so mythologized until now, through idealized flashbacks, and Hank's insistence on everyone he comes in contact with that he has left him for good. Until now, it seemed impossible that he would reappear. This sudden redirection it forces the viewer to step back as the couple evaluates their relationship, creating some breathing room for them to air their various grievances before the dinner scheduled for the following night. It also provides a break from the creature's vicious attacks, imbuing the scenes with a contemplative tone.
During the film, the viewer only sees the animal that is attacking Hank, as he tries to capture it and fails to capture it with the shaky camera flash. His friend Wade (Henry Zebrowski) weighs in on possible species as they prowl around during the day, even suggesting it might be extraterrestrial in nature. This builds tension, encouraging the viewer to speculate as well, as only quick test snapshots have been provided so far. When Abby and Hank have an honest conversation, the creature doesn't appear. When dinner rolls around the next day and there's still no sign of the monster, we have to wonder: Was the creature an embodiment of Hank's stressed and traumatized mind as he struggled with his new heartbreak? Did anything of a fantastically monstrous nature really exist?
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By making us question the existence of the monster, the feature creates a mystery for us to try to solve as we wonder how much Hank is affected by the breakup. After midnight does a brilliant job of capturing the loneliness and disorientation that comes after a breakup, especially one that was unexpected. This is especially ensured by Gardner's performance throughout the film, moving easily from heartbroken and insecure to quickly jumping into action when the moment calls for it. Unsurprisingly, this shift between tones would have been jarring in less skilled hands, however, with the 2012 The battery under his belt, Gardner is familiar with the art of balancing tension and horror to a satisfying result. With the prominence of blood and gore in the genre, it's intriguing to see the tension created and exerted in such a unique way, without relying on familiar beats that fans of the genre have come to expect. While the film could have enjoyed just the horror, Gardner chooses to make the romantic drama as impactful as the terror and After midnight it is stronger because of it. This is also enhanced by Gardner's chemistry with Brea Grant in their limited time together; the pair are two halves of a couple that audiences might want to get back together, and seeing them apart is, in a way, a different kind of horror.
What is the meaning behind the monster in “After Midnight”?
Unfortunately, in one of the final scenes, Hank makes a grand gesture to get Abby back at his birthday party, singing a meaningful song in front of his friends. She tearfully nods her willingness to meet in this hilariously awkward yet surprisingly tender moment between the two of them. As this scene of rekindled love wonderfully unfolds, the famous creature comes out of nowhere, knocking Hank sideways and shocking the onlookers' party. The false sense of security that was established by suddenly erasing shows the film at its smartest, and Hank is satisfyingly rewarded for his resistance, both by Abby's prior commitment to love and by vindication which provides him with the mere existence of the creature. Finally, we can see that it is real. Finally, we also get to see what it is, in its flamboyant, monstrous, possibly alien form. Hank successfully fends off the monster and ends the night by proposing to Abby.
In these frantic final moments, which are both profoundly surprising and darkly funny, After midnight it marries romantic dilemmas and horror in a pure way, answering the audience's burning questions in a scene of chaotic, messy and triumphant clarity.
After midnight is currently available to watch live on AMC+ in the US
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