Toronto librarian Miriam is reserved, almost to a fault. She seems to enjoy her job at the library—except for those weird letters she keeps finding, apparently addressed to the world at large, though somehow connecting with her personally—but she seems to be at a remove from life. That changes when she meets a cab driver named Janko.
A quiet marvel of a movie, Naomi Jaye’s second feature probes Miriam’s inner life, watching her at work for long stretches as she deals with library regulars…and those weird letters. As Miriam, Britt Lower is a revelation, suggesting layers of depth and feeling while playing it cool on the surface. That could serve as a metaphor for the movie, in which even the most mundane scenes seem to carry hidden weight and meaning.
With Charlie Kaufman serving as executive producer, Darkest Miriam is a calling card for both Jaye and Lower, who have created an odd and wonderful misfit of a movie. ~SM
