We have all been there…at the end of the year stuck in some bar or party watching the numbers slowly count down towards the next year. Hopelessly gazing around the room counting your prospects for that all important midnight kiss. It is more than lust; the midnight kiss is a statement. Whether the kiss is a great bookend on a successful year, a positive end to a bad one, or just an immediate ego stroke,  one thing is for sure…no one wants to be without one. Brilliant writer-director Alex Holdridge utilizes this frantic search as the platform for In Search of A Midnight Kiss - a wonderful film that is as important as it is thought provoking - that Wednesday opens the first-ever Los Angeles Downtown Film Festival.

The film hits on so many levels; it encapsulates the angst of today's twenty-somethings, the bleak realities of pursuing a career as an artist, feelings of worthlessness and despair in the big city, failure as a whole, social commentary on the nature of modern dating, but most remarkably a love story set in "the place where love comes to die," better known as Los Angeles.

IFD recently had the pleasure to sit down with Midnight Kiss' helmer Alex Holdridge (left) while he is promoting the film's LA Premiere - the opening night film of the first-ever Los Angeles Downtown Film Festival, this Wednesday, August 13, at the Orpheum Theater. The spot for the premiere couldn't be more apropos because large portions of the film take place in downtown LA and even inside the Orpheum itself! Downtown LA has long taken a backseat to the lights and glamour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills. A recent trend led by the LA artist movement has made downtown a cool place to be again, and this film, and the new festival, should lend a helping hand. It's portrayal of both the bleak/rundown aspects of the city juxtaposed with its gorgeous sprawling avenues and skyscrapers add immeasurable depth to the setting and feel of the film.

Holdridge (whose previous film Sexless is the only film to win both the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize at the SXSW Film Festival in 2003) opened up to IFD about his creative process and the inspiration for Midnight Kiss. Alex detailed his move to LA from Austin, and the various series of unfortunate events that befell him soon afterward. From wrecking his car to his girlfriend leaving him, Holdridge's heartbreak is certainly channeled into star Scoot McNairy's character Wilson. From Wilson's point-of-view we see what a beast Los Angeles can be; from its high cost of living, low-income jobs, and fierce competition, this city can certainly swallow dreams whole.

Finding love in a city so large yet so desolate and decentralized is extremely difficult. LA is a city divided, and people here are hardened and tough to engage. Thus the film opens up to lonely hipster Wilson being coerced by his best friend Jacob (Brian McGuire) to post an ad on Craig's List looking for a New Year's Eve date. This is where Wilson meets the beautiful aspiring actress Vivian, (in a pitch-perfect performance by Sara Simmonds) and it's immediately evident that the two have quite opposing views on life but are united by their December 31st-loneliness. The chemistry between the two is amazing to watch, as their push/pull relationship takes them through conversations from the heady to mundane, all the while strolling through beautiful LA locations from Franklin Village's La Poubelle restaurant to Downtown's Orpheum Theater and the subway in between (Yes, LA does have a subway!). They examine their past relationships and it becomes clear that both Wilson and Vivian still visibly carry the emotional baggage. From the writing to the performances the candor between the two is as engaging as it is relatable.

The film is very much a DIY filmmaking success story. Mr. Holdridge was waiting tables in LA, still pushing to get some of his scripts developed when the idea hit him. He wrote the story in only two weeks, and given the brilliance of the dialogue and scope of the film, that fact is absolutely astounding. Scoot McNairy, Brian McGuire, Sara Simmonds, and Katy Luong all are friends with Alex and together they made the project happen. In true guerilla filmmaker style, Alex used no permits, and utilized inset microphones for all the exterior shots. The actors rehearsed the next day's scenes every night, and Holdridge did rewrites to adapt to how the characters were developing. The creation of the film was truly an organic labor of love that attests to the power of the indie artist. This beautifully shot black-and-white film was put together for only 12 grand! I haven't seen a finished product look so good for so cheap since Robert Rodgriguez's classic El Mariachi. The credit cards of Holdridge, McNairy, and several family members provided the cash to produce the movie.

The film was accepted at several film festivals around the country, including the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. Alex described the experience at Tribeca as "absolutely terrifying…you fly yourselves out there. You're up to your neck in debt, and you're just hoping it all goes well. If it's not, it will be back to waiting tables." The film was shown to a great reception, and that has only continued to Europe. Midnight Kiss has already secured distribution in the U.K. and Greece, where it premiered at #7 in the box office. Quite an astounding feat for a small little indie shot for 12 grand! This film is a must-see for anyone who likes indie films and creative vision. In fact, be on the lookout for the same cast and crew in Hate in Paris which they will begin filming soon. Needless to say, IFD doesn't think Holdridge will be waiting tables anytime soon.

In Search of A Midnight Kiss already has opened in five theaters in New York and Massachusetts, and expands to 11 theaters on Friday, and to 14 theaters on August 22. Visit the film's official website.

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