Presented by Director’s Guild of Canada
Darkest Miriam
Directed by Naomi Jaye
Hosted by Director/Writer Naomi Jaye
Official selection
Tribeca Film Festival 2024
Director
Naomi Jaye
Executive Producer
Charlie Kaufman
Producer
Julie Baldassi, Brian Robertson
Writer
Naomi Jaye
Cast
Sook-Yin Lee, Britt Lower, Tom Mercier, Jean Yoon
Cinematographer
Michael LeBlanc
Editor
Lev Lewis
Production Designer
Brendan Callaghan
contact
Game Theory Films
"Based on the award-winning novel, ‘The Incident Report‘ by Martha Baillie, DARKEST MIRIAM finds its rhythms in blending genres—slice-of-life, romance, thriller, comedy—into a concoction that pours its heart out and flows like the tides of life."– Sherin Nicole, Alliance of Women Film Journalists
Miriam Gordon (Britt Lower, SEVERANCE) works in a library. Set in the middle of Toronto’s Allan Gardens, it’s a lively place filled with an array of patrons ranging from the “fainting man” and “suitcase man” to the talented young “piano girl.” Miriam and her co-workers take the unusual patrons in stride, and Miriam’s day is documented by incident reports about semen-filled books, lost dentures, and exchanges with the forgotten, marginalized populations who take refuge in the library stacks. Solitary and patient, her head is filled with memories of her eccentric late father, who loved the Verdi opera Rigoletto. Her measured existence is disrupted by threatening letters found in books, but she also meets a handsome taxi driver and artist named Janko (Tom Mercier, THE ANIMAL KINGDOM). Their romance is sweet and shrouded in mystery that unravels as they become closer, but Miriam must decide what road to follow when the unexpected upends her sheltered life.
Like reading a gothic romance in a secret nook, DARKEST MIRIAM draws you into its introspective examination of love, loss and the ghosts that live forever in our hearts. Based on the acclaimed, Giller Prize-shortlisted novel “The Incident Report” by Toronto author Martha Baillie, director Naomi Jaye’s film captures the tragedy of Rigoletto with fragments of the famous opera in the score and weaves in themes of mental illness to add a modern-day twist. With a standout cast that includes Sook-Yin Lee (SHORTBUS) and Jean Yoon (KIM’S CONVENIENCE), produced by Julie Baldassi and Brian Robertson, and executive produced by Academy Award-winning Charlie Kaufman (I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, ANOMALISA) DARKEST MIRIAM is a mystery that floats through the psyche like a bittersweet memory. – Carolyn Mauricette
Showings
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Don't Call it Mystery
Hiroaki Matsuyama
In this compelling whodunit adapted from a popular manga, college student Totonou, known for his sharp observation skills, becomes entangled in a complicated family feud involving mysterious deaths.
Confession
Nobuhiro Yamashita
A morbid confession, an isolated cabin, and an epic acting duel are the elements of a brilliantly directed descent into hell. Quite simply, one of the best closed-set films in a long time.
The G
Karl R. Hearne
Abused and deprived by a corrupt legal guardian and an uncaring system, an elderly woman sets out for payback. A dark revenge thriller with a very unconventional protagonist.