Midlands Review of In the Midst
midlandsmovies • July 24, 2020
In the Midst
Directed by The French Director
2020
NFX Films
The positive cheers of the nation at getting the 2012 Olympics opens new short In the Midst which is in stark contrast to the later subject matter in a difficult and emotional film.
The successful announcement on 6th July 2005 was celebrated by a hard-working campaign before we are introduced to our protagonist (played by Ben Thorne) the following day.
We are also made aware his partner (Hannah Rita Hargraves) is heavily pregnant, whilst he speaks on the phone to his mum who wants to know any news about the baby’s birth as soon as possible.
The TV of their living room plays an important background role delivering news about the Olympic planning via footage of Seb Coe, which is a great idea to get more information across in the brief time of a short film.
But his partner suddenly goes into painful labour and although a midwife is on hand, they anxiously await the arrival of an ambulance to take them to hospital.
But the man is soon distracted by breaking news about the 7/7 London transport bombings and he attempts to call his mother but is unsuccessful in getting through.
A horrific subject to be sure, In the Midst tackles the combination of new life and tragic death with sensitivity and without exploitation. As a baby is born, our protagonist cries – not knowing whether his family are safe or not. Whilst the newsreaders continue to provide updates, the shocked look on his face is captured well by a camera shot that is held for an uncomfortably long time.
The atrocities of 7/7 will live on in the UK’s memory and In the Midst does a good job of telling the story from an everyday perspective and the shocking impact it had on people. Although the short could do with a bit more cinematic sheen in the cinematography, the film mixes parallels of happiness and tragedy in a powerful and involving way.
Michael Sales
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