Midnight Return: The Story of Billy Hayes and Turkey

Having loved the original movie and watched it more than a dozen times, I was excited to hear of Midnight Return, and anxious to know the real story all these years later. There was a one-week screening event in Toronto where I live, last week. I attended 3 screenings as the director Sally Sussman was present for Q&A afterwards. Her deep understanding of the topic and the star is captivating. The audience was riveted and asked truly interesting, layered questions. Sometimes documentaries dissect and deconstruct the truth, Midnight Return does the opposite. It brings you the truth from all sides, with no judgement, and leaves you a bit shocked at the innocence of the original filmmakers. Midnight Express was a generation’s story and a pop-culture phenomenon… tackling something so profound without disturbing the authenticity as done by Ms. Sussman and Mr. Morina in Midnight Return was entirely enlightening. The background story as told by these film-makers was done with clarity, honesty and a shade of humor. Midnight Return is a bold look at truth in cinema, exposes how delicately the truth must be handled, and humanized all the players involved. If Midnight Express touched your life in any way, you must see Midnight Return. This full-circle story is told beautifully, with wit and character. Kudos to the film-makers. Can’t wait to see it again and to see what next story this team chooses to tell. Midnight Return is a must-see. Ms. Sussman and Mr. Morina tackled a story larger than a generation imagined, dispelled myths and left you wanting more.