Midnight Sun (12A) | Close-Up Film Review
Dir. Scott Speer, US, 2018, 91 mins
Cast: Bella Thorne, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Rob Riggle
Review by Michelle Moore
Imagine not being able to go in to the sunlight? Not going out during the day, only going out at night. What would you have missed growing up?
You would have never gone to the beach, made castles in the sand and had an ice cream with the warm summer sun beaming down on you. Theme parks would have been something you would never have had the chance to experience; no rollercoasters or big wheels. All those experiences that youngsters have had growing up you would miss out on…building friendships, mucking around and making mistakes. This is the life that was put upon Katie Price (Thorne) in this feature film Midnight Sun.
Katie suffers from Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), sensitivity to sunlight which can cause skin cancer and result in her brain starting to degenerate and death. Life for Katie was tough as you can imagine. Growing up children made fun of her because of the special windows to her bedroom and they pondered what was wrong with her? Was she a vampire? As she reached the age graduation, life changed as she meets the young man she had been spying on through the window since childhood. As Katie and Charlie (Schwarzenegger) get to know each other their romance blossoms and he opens her up to a new world of experiences – of course these were all night time related (funfair, live concerts, parties).
The two main themes in this movie are the budding romance between Kate and Charlies, as well as Katie’s passion for music, which holds the storyline together beautifully. Although she has had an incredibly tough life, it was her thirst for music, writing and playing guitar that keeps her grounded. It is through this escape that she able to make some of her most memorable life experiences.
This movie becomes a very emotional one when Katie’s condition becomes more serious and her father Jack (Riggle) talks about how he had to deprive his daughter of so many things growing up even if she was kicking and screaming, he tried to do what was best for his daughter. The characters portrayed within this feature by Riggle, Schwarzenegger and Thorne are astounding and very emotional. They make you forget you are watching a made up narrative but rather have your emotions running wild.
Midnight Sun is an incredible story, one that is heartwarming and very emotional. The way it is played out is incredibly honest, passionate and encourages you to look at your own life in a new light. Watching what Katie goes through throughout this movie puts a long of things into perspective. We take for granted things we do in life. We moan when it’s raining we moan when its sunny, Katie doesn’t get a choice. Children skip school as they don’t want to be there, Katie had to be home schooled and missed out on the experience of making friends and socializing. Her world revolves around her condition. It makes you realise how lucky truly you and although things do not always go to plan, be happy with what you have and make the most of what life throws at you.
