Midnight Family
{{short description|Documentary film}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Midnight Family
| image = File:Midnight Family.jpg
| caption = Film poster
| native_name =
| director = Luke Lorentzen
| producer = Kellen Quinn
| writer = Luke Lorentzen
| screenplay =
| story =
| based_on =
| starring = Fer Ochoa
Josue Ochoa
Juan Ochoa
| narrator =
| music = Leonardo Heiblum
Jacobo Lieberman
Alexis Ruiz
Andrés Sánchez
| cinematography = Luke Lorentzen
| editing = Luke Lorentzen
Paloma López
| studio = Hedgehog Films
No Ficción
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|df=y|2019|1|26|Sundance Film}}
| runtime = 81 minutes
| country = Mexico
United States
| language = Spanish
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Midnight Family is a 2019 Mexican-American documentary film written and directed by Luke Lorentzen. It focuses on Ochoa family who run a private ambulance business. It is produced by Kellen Quinn under the banner of Hedgehog Films, and No Ficción. It stars Fer Ochoa, Josue Ochoa, and Juan Ochoa.
Synopsis
The Ochoas are a family of paramedics who own a private ambulance in Mexico City. Mainly set at night, we watch as the Ochoas monitor emergency calls and race other private ambulances to accidents in hopes of making enough money to sustain their business and family. A series of vignettes shows the family interacting with one another, patients, hospitals, and the police. Among their patients are a young woman assaulted by her boyfriend, the child of an addict, a mother and son in a car accident, and a young woman who suffered a fall. At the end of each ride, the Ochoas must demand payment from their patient or their families. The scenes build upon one another to tell a subtle story of the risks, rewards, and heartbreak of running the service.
Cast
- Fer Ochoa as himself
- Josue Ochoa as himself
- Juan Ochoa as himself
Release
= Critical response =
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critical consensus reads, "As narratively urgent as it is technically well-crafted, Midnight Family offers an enthralling and disquieting glimpse of healthcare in modern Mexico."{{Citation|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/midnight_family|title=Midnight Family (2019)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date|df=iso}}}} Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".{{Citation|title=Midnight Family|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/midnight-family|access-date=2023-03-13}}
Carlos Aguilar writing for the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Life-or-death incidents unfold before our eyes with intense urgency, yet the filmmaker finds breathing room to intimately profile a group of terribly underpaid heroes".{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-12-11/midnight-family-review|title=Review: Through the streets of Mexico City, this 'Midnight Family' saves lives|date=2019-12-12|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-27}} Monica Castillo of TheWrap wrote, "Midnight Family does not shy away from showing the pressures they face from all sides and the constant exhaustion in their line of work, but we also come to understand their sense of loyalty to their patients".{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/midnight-family-film-review-luke-lorentzen-documentary/|title='Midnight Family' Film Review: Ambulances Earn a Tough Living in Mexico|date=2019-12-06|website=TheWrap|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-27}} Nick Schager writing for Variety wrote, "Midnight Family illustrates that compensation is rarely in the cards here, as haggling leads to either polite apologies from those unable to pay, or harsher rejections from those simply unwilling to reimburse the paramedics for their trouble".{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/midnight-family-review-1203110432/|title=Film Review: 'Midnight Family'|last=Schager|first=Nick|date=2019-11-11|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2020-01-27}}
References
{{Reflist}}