I love libraries and the smell of books, so you would think that being a librarian would be the happiest job in the world…more often than not…happiness is a mirage.
Darkest Miriam
I never know what Andy Burns will send me to review, but since we have the same taste in films, I often jump into a review with both feet hitting the ground. Occasionally, Andy sends me a film that seems to attach itself to me. Superboys of Malegaon was one, and now, Darkest Miriam.
Darkest Miriam was produced by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Naomi Jaye. The film is adapted from the novel The Incident Report by Martha Baillie. It stars Britt Lower, Tom Mercier, Sook-Yin Lee and Jean Yoon. Miriam Gordon (Britt Lower) is a librarian at the Allen Gardens branch of the Toronto Public Libraries. Miriam is nothing like the better-known Marian the Librarian of The Music Man. Our Miriam is dealing with a soul-crushing grief. The grief is palpable. It spreads outwards from Miriam, extending to her coworkers and to the strange and lonely patrons of the library. Miriam is constantly writing out incident reports regarding the frequent patrons. But there is a mystery that has the staff at the library puzzled. Someone is sending threatening letters to Miriam.
Miriam isolates herself from her coworkers, Irene (Jean Yoon) and Susu (Sook-Yin Lee), eating her lunch alone on a park bench. Her existence is one of compliance and acceptance. Not even the threatening letters seem to upset her. Then one day, Miriam meets a young Slovenian cab driver, Janco (Tom Mercier). They fall in love. And we learn the cause of Miriam’s grief.
Conclusion
I need to pay closer attention to the patrons of my local library. Too busy browsing for books, I have overlooked the real stories that a library holds secret within its walls. Britt Lower is the true essence of the film. Her character’s awakening is what keeps us mesmerized. Through flashbacks, we learn about Miriam’s childhood and the source of her grief.
Darkest Miriam is the type of film that you hold close to your heart as you would your favourite book. It is a love story wrapped up in a mystery. Happiness is a mirage. That message is driven home in a delicate way, but it feels like a punch to the heart, for those of us who need mirages to survive.
Darkest Miriam will open in New York on April 4 and in major cities across Canada on March 28th.
