Content Advisory: Suicide
A Toronto librarian’s sheltered existence is cracked open in Darkest Miriam. Miriam Gordon (Britt Lower) is a librarian at the Allen Gardens branch of the Toronto Public Libraries, whose daily routine involves reading to children, answering questions at the info desk, and filling out incident reports. However, a mystery arises at the library when Miriam begins receiving oddly threatening letters that quote the Opera Rigoletto. Around the same time, Miriam begins a relationship with a younger foreign cab driver Janko Priajtelj (Tom Mercier), who encourages her to come out of her shell.
Darkest Miriam Synopsis
Darkest Miriam is a romantic drama co-written and directed by Naomi Jaye, based on the 2009 novel The Incident Report by Martha Baillie. The film stars Britt Lower (Severance) as the titular librarian Miriam Gordon, who has created quirky nicknames for the regular patrons at the Allen Gardens library, including Suitcase Man (Clyde Whitham), Usually Pale Female Patron (Susannah Hoffmann), Beautiful Young Man (Joshua Odjick), and Piano Mom (Anita Yung). Miriam is also haunted by the memory of her late father, a man who had a large book collection in his garage.
My Thoughts on Darkest Miriam
Darkest Miriam is an indie romance with vague thriller elements, which is executive produced by Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Anomalisa) with Britt Lower, best known for the Apple TV+ series Severance, shining in the lead role. The film also features notable supporting appearances from the likes of Sook Yin-Lee (Shortbus) and Jean Yoon (Kim’s Convenience). While the film’s thriller subplot of threatening letters being left for Miriam ends up being somewhat unresolved, Darkest Miriam as a whole is a recommended romantic drama.
Buy the Book on Which Darkest Miriam – Fantasia 2024 is Based
