Midnight Clear (2006)
Run time: 1 hour 43 minutes
This is definitely a Christmas film for adults who aren't afraid to look at the darker side of the holiday as a time when loneliness and despair arise profoundly for many. The plot follows four main story lines: a mother and her young son celebrating the first Christmas after her husband has been institutionalized following an accident that left him brain damaged; his friend, a youth minister struggling to grasp the use of leading reluctant teens to carol and bring gifts to wayward parishioners; an old woman estranged from her family and contemplating suicide; and a man facing divorce, unemployment, alcoholism, and homelessness. It's not exactly your cheerful holiday fare, but the good will of Christmas -- sometimes upheld by little more than obligation and desperation -- prevails, making this a tear-jerking story of redemption... And a reminder that no one should be alone on Christmas. |
