Sister Midnight
Sister Midnight is a picaresque horror comedy about a newlywed who marches to the beat of her own drum
Karan Kandhari’s debut opens with a silent train journey for two newlyweds still unaware of the feral turns their arranged marriage will take. During a sweltering Mumbai summer spent in a claustrophobic shack, reluctant housewife Uma (Radhika Apte) starts experiencing a weird malaise. As Gopal (Ashok Pathak) does his best to understand her appetites, Uma realises she’s not cut out for the domestic goddess life.
A successor to A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Sister Midnight is an enjoyable new entry in the female-centred horror canon, one that serves its main dish with a generous dose of deadpan awkwardness. Introduced as an enemies-to-lovers rom-com, the movie morphs into a kooky, slapstick affair about the fear of the chaotic feminine, providing an antidote to the polished TikTok trad wife aesthetic.
Kandhari’s assured direction follows certified hot mess Uma across symmetrical frames that recall Wes Anderson's world-building, though the film maintains a raw, punk quality. Centred shots and saturated palettes aside, Sister Midnight also attracts comparisons with Anderson for its needle drops courtesy of Interpol’s Paul Banks.
A music video director, Kandhari enlisted Banks’ help to craft a killer mixtape where Buddy Holly and The Stooges co-exist with the Cambodian rock of the 1960s and 1970s. The result is a stylish counterpart to the relentless buzz of the city, accompanying Uma in increasingly surreal situations. An almost vignette-like account, Sister Midnight may feel thin on cohesion and at times too derivative, but it’s a rebellious, spirited debut with a lot of bite.
Released 14 Mar by Altitude; certificate 15