Calgary International Film Festival 2012 - Midnight's Children (CIFF Gala Opening)

Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 08:53 PM

Review Type: Festival
Movie: Calgary International Film Festival

Midnight's Children (CIFF Gala Opening)

By Troy Steinke

Who doesn't like a good Red Carpet Gala Opening right? Well dressed A-listers, velvet ropes, white-gloved ushers and don't forget those poster things for photos. Even Nenshi was there! This year's star-studded CIFF premiere event had all the trimmings and more. Best of all, it had a compelling film to launch the 13th annual celebration of the silver screens that bring us so much joy. Deepa Mehta's adapation of 'Midnight's Children' did just that.

Originally a Booker prize-winning novel by Salman Rushdie, 'Midnight's Children' tells the story of Saleem Sinai, a child born on the eve of India's independence from the British. Saleem inherits the divine ability to communicate with the other children born on that night. In her brief address to a packed Jubilee audience, Mehta touched upon the sheer enormity of her task, and the many doubts that a story of such magnitude could be brought to the screen. Filming also faced religious and political challenges that added a degree of controversy to its production. With grace and humour, Mehta simply asked that audience members have something more profound than 'it's interesting' to say to her after the screening.

But it was interesting, and so much more. The story itself addressed a unique mix of themes ranging from religious and political to the supernatural. Ripe with symbolism and powerful imagery, Midnight's Children presents a complex story with great performances, and wonderfully lush photography. For the uninitiated it both educates and astounds. Rarely can a film pull off violent, funny, sad and quirky within the span of 130 minutes – and neither did this one. At 148 minutes, it began to weigh heavy in it's denouement, suffering from the density of it's original source material. Despite being a bit long, it is a journey worth taking and a powerful launch vehicle for this year's CIFF. The festival continues to run through Sunday, September 30th and there are still plenty of great movies to see. Stay tuned for more reviews and updates from your faithful CM staff.