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Midnight Family

2019

Luke Lorentzen

Documentary, Self: Juan Alexis Ocho, Fernando Ochoa, Josué Ochoa, Manuel Hernández

6.6

257

Documentary In the midst of high-speed ambulance rides, we meet the Ochoas, a ragtag family of private paramedics, who try desperately every day to be the first responders to critically injured patients. In a city where the government operates only 45 emergency ambulances for a population of over nine million, the family acts as a crucial—but unregistered—underground lifeline. But the job is riddled with police bribes and cutthroat competition. And ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	John DeFore The Hollywood Reporter	"[The] observational approach gives the film its flavor, especially when it comes to family dynamics, but it makes things frustrating for viewers hoping to actually learn something."	NEU
United States	Nick Schager Variety	"[A] gripping doc (...) The film achieves a powerful measure of suspense that’s intricately tied up in its despairing sociological depiction of a system that’s come apart at the seams.	POS
United States	Christian Gallichio The Playlist	"A thrilling, subjective, portrait of one family’s attempts to navigate the corrupt economy of emergency health care (...) it is undoubtedly a thrilling ride"	POS
United States	Monica Castillo The Wrap	"[It] is both a compassionate portrait of a working-class family and a frightening ride through a broken healthcare system"	POS
United Kingdom	Allan Hunter Screendaily	"A compelling documentary that blends the engaging family dynamic of a Kore-eda drama with the socio-economic realities of a Ken Loach classic"	POS
United States	Vikram Murthi AV Club	"Lorentzen documents the nightly excursions in stunning widescreen compositions, carefully orchestrated (...) To his credit, Lorentzen never guides the audience’s moral response"	POS
United States	Manohla Dargis The New York Times	"They’re an appealing, affecting collection of souls, and you too want the best for them (...) It never feels unprincipled or indulgently exploitative"	POS
United States	Chuck Bowen Slant	"It’s the mix of the humane and the calculating that gives the film its empathetic power (...) A rich and textured film (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"A broken system is laid bare by this bleak doc (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
Ireland	Donald Clarke Irish Times	"A documentary full of arresting episodes that fail to form a pleasing shape (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU

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