After releasing two Oscar-nominated short films, Midi La Nuit debuts its first full-length film,Hunting Dazeat theSouth By Southwest 2024 festival, where it will be showcased in the Midnighters section, and Collider is delighted to exclusively bring the trailer for the movie to our readers.The story follows Nina, a fiery young woman who ends up isolated in the extreme North. She persuades five men on a bachelor hunting trip to accommodate her for a few days.
Amidst this predominantly male group, which she finds to be both equally hilarious and philosophical, Nina discovers a sense of community she has never experienced before. However, the arrival of an enigmatic stranger alters the trajectory of their makeshift vacation.Hunting Dazeis said to be a blend of raw and ethereal elements,creating a distinctive world where comedy, terror, the supernatural, and the erotic intersect. The movie’s cast includesNahéma Ricci,Bruno Marcil,andNoubi Ndiaye.
This film marksAnnick Blanc’s first foray into feature-length directing, following her acclaimed shortThe Colour of Your Lipswhich secured the Best Fantastic Short award at Austin’s Fantastic Fest and was subsequently acquired by Lionsgate for a feature-length version directed byJames Wan,the modern-dayhorror maestro behind the likes ofThe ConjuringandInsidious.The movie’s official logline says:
Nina, a headstrong young woman, joins a group of hunters at a remote cabin. In this male micro-society, she finally feels a newfound sense of belonging. But the delicate balance of their pack is threatened with the arrival of a mysterious stranger.
Who Is Annick Blanc, the Director of ‘Hunting Daze’?
This is Blanc’s first feature. Her second short film,Turn Off Before Living(2015) was shown atDresdenandFestival du Nouveau Cinéma.Her first shortNowhere Elsewhere(2010) garnered nine international prizes (Palm Springs Shortfest, Vienna Independent Short). Blanc shared the following statement with Collider, alongside news of the film’s premiere:
“In cinema, as in life, I would best describe myself as someone who is a fan of contrasts and oxymorons. I have the ability to laugh out loud when my heart is broken, and cry when I am happiest. I’ve always been drawn to chiaroscuros and colorful neon signs in the dark. It’s not a coincidence that the production company that I co-founded with Maria Gracia Turgeon is called Midi La Nuit, which translates as “Noon at night.” That’s most likely why, I like to blend genres and combine dreams, psychological horror, cruelty and dark humor in my films. InHunting Daze, we are metaphorically confronted with the themes of individual responsibility within a group, toxic masculinity, and how altruism fades in a society obsessed with comfort. These themes touched upon under the cover of fiction are extremely important, as migratory, economical and ecological crises are cornering us, more than ever before.
As the film starts, it’s a perpetual party, with everything treated with irreverent humour and a certain malicious candor. The group pushes themselves further into drunkenness and taunts over the course of the night. When an irrevocable act takes place, the characters attempt to avoid dealing with it. But the situation rapidly degenerates, and they descend into the horror of a dark reality. With my films, I love to explore what it means to be pushed to the limits of human experience and forced to pass through a spectrum of complex and intense emotions. I am creating an enchanted universe that seduces viewers all the better to unsettle them. They are forced to question not only what they see but their own preconceptions.”
You can watch the trailer forHunting Dazein the player above. For those wishing to seeHunting Dazeat SXSW, see the screening dates and times below:
