Final Rating: 3/5
Working in a quiet downtown branch of the Toronto Public Library, librarian Miriam (Britt Lower) finds purpose observing the regulars and filing incident reports. She looks forward to lunch, which she happens to take around the same time as Janko (Tom Mercier), a taxi driver who works in the same area. Outside of work, Miriam shuts down, her few moments at home shown in near complete darkness as she crumples under the crushing weight of nothing.
Darkest Miriam follows its titular character as she searches for deeper meaning in a life that’s become painfully mundane. In Miriam, director Naomi Jaye explores a character who needs to make connections to make her life make sense, and in doing so crafts a fascinating portrait of lasting grief. Darkest Miriam is part slice-of-life, part romance, and even incorporates surreal touches a la Charlie Kaufmann (who also produces).
Eschewing genre and storytelling conventions, Jaye favours filmmaking choices to bring the audience into the head of the titular character: not every plot thread has an obvious resolution; the story structure changes multiple times. While it’s not always satisfying in the moment, Darkest Miriam sticks around long after the credits roll.
Darkest Miriam was seen during the 2024 Fantasia Film Festival. Thank you to Touchwood PR for the screener.
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