Loneliness feels most acute during holidays when it is easy to feel left out and separate in a cozy world of married couples and extended families. Ask single people what day of the year they dread most and many will immediately say New Year's Eve. It is every adult's fantasy to ring out the old and bring in the new with a passionate and long-lasting kiss with the one you love. It helps to chase away the memories of the old year's failures and disappointments. It gives a jolt of fresh energy to dance into a New Year with enthusiasm and love.
Wilson (Scoot McNairy), a writer, has had a bad year in Los Angeles. His script has gone no where, and he hasn't gone out on a date for a very long time. To make matters worse, Jacob (Brian Matthew McGuire), his best friend and roommate, has decided that he wants to marry Min (Katy Luong). He advises Wilson to post a personal ad on Craigslist for a New Year's Eve date. Vivian (Sara Simmonds) responds to his ad which begins with "Misanthrope to Misanthrope." They meet at a café where she's scheduled Wilson between other prospective dates. He is happy when Vivian says she'll stay with him until six o'clock when she'll make her final decision on whether or not to spend New Year's Eve with him.
Writer and director Alex Holdrige has created a consistently surprising romantic drama which reveals the bittersweet qualities of dating in the twenty-something set. Intimacy is hard in a city where role-playing, entertainment, escape, distractions, high expectations, and celebrityhood all press upon the consciousness. At one point Wilson suggests that Los Angeles is where love comes to die. Although Vivian turns out to be a very pretty blonde actress, she is carrying a lot of baggage into her encounter with Wilson. He's not sure what to think of her as he sheepishly responds and reacts to her often abrasive mood swings. Of course, he brings his own depression and disappointment to their emotional encounter. They are both struggling to free themselves from the grip of failed relationships.
In a magical scene, Vivian shares her interest in taking photographs of lost or abandoned single shoes on the streets of the city. This hobby indicates her ability to focus on something outside of herself and is an indication of her genuine nurturing instinct. This intimate film will remind you a little of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, two other films in which lonely souls wander around a city mostly talking. In Search of a Midnight Kiss demonstrates the appeal of independent films with their ability to take small moments and infuse them with meaning.
