The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995)

A young man who has spent his life as a member of an ultraconservative Christian cult, loses his parents and becomes disoriented, wandering into a forest and meeting a coffin transporter, a caring woman, her mute boyfriend, and his mother.

Director:

Philip Ridley

Writer:

Philip Ridley

Stars:

Brendan Fraser, Ashley Judd, Viggo Mortensen

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Brendan Fraser	...	Darkly Noon
Ashley Judd	...	Callie
Viggo Mortensen	...	Clay
Loren Dean	...	Jude
Grace Zabriskie	...	Roxy
Lou Myers	...	Quincy
Kate Harper	...	Ma
Mel Cobb	...	Pa
Josse De Pauw	...	Ringmaster
Gabriele Binder	...	Ringmaster's Family (as Gabi Binder)
Maximilliam Paul	...	Ringmaster's Family
Knut Samel	...	Ringmaster's Family
Dog	...	Dunia

Storyline

After the death of his strictly religious parents, forlorn young Darkly gets lost in the woods. A truck driver, Jude, rescues the exhausted man, who has only a bible for comfort. He brings him to the house of Callie and Clay, two lovers who live in the forest. While Clay is away in the forest, beautiful Callie nurses Darkly back to health, and he develops an obsession with her that is totally contrary to his upbringing - a sexual obsession. When Clay returns home and Darkly sees the two lovers kiss, it is too much for him. Every night he hears them making love. Darkly's descent into madness has begun... An extremely dramatical and exciting ending!

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Plot Keywords:

masturbation | sleeping nude | sleeping naked | waking up naked | strong female | 

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Taglines:

When your deepest desire becomes your worst nightmare...

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although set in the American Deep South, this was actually filmed in Germany.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Callie: Is that for me? Thank you.

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Connections

References Diamonds of the Night (1964)

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Soundtracks

Look What You've Done (To My Skin)
Written by Nick Bicât and Philip Ridley
Performed by Gavin Friday
© 1995 Island Records Limited

User Reviews

The best film I have seen in a long time.

I watched this film yesterday and was pretty blown away by it. It's very much like a magical realist novel in how it mixes aspects of modern life and society with fairy tale mythology and a general dreamlike atmosphere.

The story is basically about a young man named Darkly Noon who has been brought up by religious fanatics and who stumbles upon a weird "family" of three that lives deep in the woods after his parents are murdered. These people consist of Callie, a women who is so beautiful and sensual she's being compared to a force of nature, her mute boyfriend and a third young man. At the beginning Darkly, played by Brendan Fraser who is actually downright awesome in this film, is alone with Callie, which causes a lot of confusion as he's attracted to her and his sexual desires clash with both his religious dogmas and, upon his return, with her boyfriend. There's also a strange old woman living in the woods who claims that Callie is in fact a witch who seduces and kills every man she meets and also accuses her of having murdered most of her family. With that in mind Darkly, who has been continuously mutilating himself to control his urges, decides Callie needs to be punished for her sins against god. Things go very wrong from there...

The Passion of Darkly Noon is a tough film to describe because there really are not a lot of movies that are anything like it. It's part thriller, part dark erotic drama, part supernatural horror and part fairy tale. Now try to wrap your mind around that ... It is expertly and effectively directed by Philip Ridley, who has only directed this film and THE REFLECTING SKIN a few years before it and spends most of his time writing children's books. Which makes sense because DARKLY NOON bears some resemblance to the simplicity of the narratives of children's books. It's just that it goes into extremely dark and adult territory instead of remaining wholesome and family-friendly. The performances by everyone involved are great, Fraser really surprised me with his portrayal of Darkly. The guy once had some promise before he decided to squander it all in ridiculous braindead blockbusters. Ashley Judd, who plays Callie, also does a great job with a very difficult role. Callie is incredibly seductive, naive, playful and almost childlike all at once and Judd pulls it off admirably. Her mute boyfriend is played by Viggo Morensen and he's also good in a role that requires him to convey everything with gestures alone. Special praise has to go to Nick Bicat for a truly haunting score that fits the style of the film and John de Borman's lush cinematography perfectly.

THE PASSION OF DARKLY NOON is the best film I have seen in a long time and a genuine discovery.

Details

Country:

UK Germany Belgium

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Passion of Darkly Noon

Filming Locations:

Sächsische Schweiz, Saxony, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alain Keytsman Production, Fugitive Darkly Noon, Fugitive Features

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1