‘Midnight Mirror’, a woman’s late night travel and anxiety about safety

Debanjan Majhi’s short film ‘Midnight Mirror’ tries to explore hodophobia, a fear of travel, given a woman's internalised anxiety about safety and security while traveling alone at night. Starring Trina Saha, Sharonyo Banerjee and Apratim Chatterjee, the short successfully creates anxious anticipation with its gripping content and the ambiance surrounding it.
Jahnavi (Trina Saha), a television artiste, traveling alone after a late night party.A series of events take place after she books a cab while returning home. These events are regular at night in India, where women still hesitate before going out alone at night. But, this film presents the flipside of these incidents, as Jahnavi can’t help but anticipate in her mind the dangers waiting to pounce on her from every corner as she travels alone at night.
Rupanjan Paul’s crisp cinematography adds to the elements that increases anticipation and anxiety. The camerawork within the cab is quite skillful yet effortless enough to grab the viewers’ uninterrupted attention. Aakash Ghosal’s background score also serves a key role in building the ambience of the film.
The title ‘Midnight Mirror’ fits the film quite well, as it reflects the turmoil in the subconscious mind at midnight, when we contemplate our thoughts and feelings.