''Midnight Delight'' is an American absurdist

anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film, package film, or portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of several shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme ...

written and directed by

Rohit Gupta Rohit Gupta is a film director, film producer and entrepreneurship, entrepreneur who resides in the United States. He is known for directing ''Midnight Delight (film), Midnight Delight'', ''Life! Camera Action...'', ''Another Day Another Life (s ...

. It is composed of nine

vignettes Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...

of characters at a smoking lounge and their antics with people they have never met before. It stars an ensemble cast and produced by Gupta and Saumin Mehta under the production company Dot & Feather Entertainment. The film is the second feature directed by Gupta, best known for '' Life! Camera Action...'' and '' Another Day Another Life''. ''Midnight Delight'' premiered at the

Cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

Film Festival in Garberville,

Humboldt County, California Humboldt County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,463. The county seat is Eureka. Humboldt County comprises the Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna, California Micropolitan Statistica ...

, where it won the "Judges Choice film of the festival" award followed by garnering various accolades and acclaim at several international film festivals. The film is considered part of the

mumblecore Mumblecore is a subgenre of independent filmHoberman, J. (August 14, 2007).It's Mumblecore!. ''The Village Voice''. Retrieved on July 27, 2008.Lim, Dennis (August 19, 2007)Mumblecore – The New Talkies: Generation DIY ''The New York Times''. Retr ...

movement. It was released on July 21, 2016, via

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...

(VOD) on various platforms including

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Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android (operating sys ...

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

, Hoopla,

Vimeo Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software as ...

, Microsoft Movies & TV, Xbox. ''Midnight Delight'' is noted for its

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

, concept and

narrative style A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc.). N ...

. On October 31, 2016, the film premiered at The Cannabis College in

Amsterdam, Netherlands Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban are ...

Plot

Vignettes composition as follows:

High how are you

Features Michael Laguerre, John Crann (topics include hats, moisturizer).

Awakening

Features Dipti Mehta, Rachel Myers (topics include maths, infinity).

Epiphanation

Features

Shaheed Woods Shaheed K. Woods (born Shaheed Kamal Jihad Woods) is an American actor, comedian born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey. He is best known for ''A Gentleman'', '' Midnight Delight'', '' Life! Camera Action...'' earning him accolades. Early ...

, Michele Ann Suttile (topics include Why do we talk, What do models eat, If water makes us fat, dolphins).

Alone Together

Features Adit Dileep, Sofia Siva (topics include courting insights)

Still here?

Features Michael Laguerre, John Crann.

Hi...?

Features Bill McCrea, Maggie Alexander (as personal trainers.)

How high are you

Features Michael Laguerre, John Crann.

Introspecting

Features Joshua E.

illusion or Reality

Features Michael Laguerre, Alexandra Hellquist as an aspiring actress.

Cast

* Alexandra Hellquist * Dipti Mehta * Michael Laguerre * John Crann * Maggie Alexander * Michele Suttile * Rachel Myers * Michael Lester * Bill E. McCrea * Adit Dileep * Sofia Sivan

Production

Filming

''Midnight Delight'' has been shot as an improvisatory movie with minimalist techniques and only few pages of treatment for a script. Instead of a script, the actors received outlines, which covered the plot points and were told what had to happen. The film was shot over a period of two nights with multi-camera setup and rehearsals by all actors prior to the filming. It is considered part of the

movement.

Marketing

The first official poster and teaser-trailer was released on the film's Facebook page on February 21, 2015. The extended version of the trailer was released on September 16, 2015.

Soundtrack

The score for ''Midnight Delight'' features two original songs.

Release

The film was released on July 21, 2016, through

Reception

The film opened at the Cannabis Film Festival in Humboldt county, California where the jury stated "Watching ''Midnight Delight'' is like smoking a cinematic joint". At its Washington State premiere at th
Hempapalooza Music & Film Festival
it was stated, "''Midnight Delight'' is a pure cinematic aphrodisiac that brings a completely new and fresh take on

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

-based movies and culture”.

Critical response

The film received positive reviews. Daniel Libby of DopeChef was enthusiastic, rating the film four stars out of four. Libby suggested "''Midnight Delight'' might be called a part

stoner comedy Stoner film is a subgenre of comedy film that revolves around the Recreational drug use, recreational use of Cannabis (drug), cannabis. Generally, cannabis use is one of the main themes and inspires much of the plot. They are often representative ...

, part philosophical dialogue on life. Through a series of

featuring interwoven conversations, the characters have

sessions and real stuff comes out" and that the film has something for everyone: "Viewers are sure to relate to at least one of the various characters or stoner-types. There’s something for everyone in the cannabis community. This movie is sure to delight audiences".

Awards and nominations

Selected Official Selection & Screening

* Blowup Chicago International Art House Film Festival, 'Experimental Einstein award' category, US. * Cabo Verde Int. Film Festival 2016, 'Best Film' category,

Sal, Cape Verde Sal (Portuguese for "salt") is an island in Cape Verde. Sal is a tourist destination with white sandy beaches and over 350 days of sunshine a year. It is one of the three sandy eastern islands of the Cape Verde archipelago in the central Atlantic ...

. * Fantasmagorical (Fandom Fest) Film Festival, 'Fantasy Feature', US. * Frack Fest Oklahoma City Underground Film Festival, US. *

Golden Door Film Festival The Golden Door Film Festival is a film festival in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, which was inaugurated in 2011. The four-day festival takes place in fall, and shows features, documentaries, and shorts. The opening and closing night a ...

, US * Hempapalooza Music & Film Festival, US. * Hong Kong Art House Film Festival, 'Underground Film', Hong Kong. * iChill International Film Festival 2016, Manila, Philippines. * 21st Indie Gathering int. Film Festival, 'Drama-Comedy', US. * Sydney World Film Festival, 'Experimental Film', Australia.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Midnight Delight 2016 films 2010s fantasy comedy films American fantasy comedy films American avant-garde and experimental films American independent films DIY culture Absurdist fiction American films about cannabis Films using motion capture Drug culture Underground culture Films directed by Rohit Gupta 2010s avant-garde and experimental films Mumblecore films Stoner films 2016 comedy films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films