One Film A Day: Midnight In Paris

DAY 8 - 7/11/2023

Woody Allen wasn't a filmmaker I was conventionally familiar with, even though he came to prominence around the same time as Martin Scocese and that whole generation, in my age group, his name hasn't been brought up that much.

That's why I figured there could be no better film to watch on a rainy day than Midnight In Paris (2011) directed of course, by Woody Allen.

The film is where a disillusioned writer on vacation in Paris who experiences a time-traveling adventure each night at midnight, encountering famous literary and artistic figures from the 1920s Golden Age of the city.

I think this film is the perfect rainy-day film or at least one of the perfect rainy-day films there are. It weaves simple yet complex narratives together with emotional threads and the rain, oh god, the rain. It works. There's nothing more atmospheric than a rain-soaked city.

The characters are so relatable, intense and also very alive, which is strange to say, but it's just the only way I can think to explain it. They're magnetic. You forget your watching a film, and it feels more like peering into a dream.

The cinematography is so underrated because you, as the audience don't really notice it on your first watch because the film just sweeps you into a rhythm and you lose yourself in the process.

I can't recommend this film enough, especially to people from my generation. Just imagine Loki - the series before the series.

My Rating: 9/10