User Reviews

I saw this film recently in Toronto and was blown away. Midnight Express affected me so much when I first saw it and this documentary tells you the true story behind that film, none of which I knew before. I had no idea this movie caused so much controversy around the world. The doc is fascinating, even if you've never seen Midnight Express.

“Midnight Return” marks the directorial debut for documentarian Sally Sussman Morina. Picking up on the “post story” of “Midnight Express”, the powerful movie that turned so many heads on its initial release in 1978. Central figure, the controversial Billy Hayes, is once again focused on. This time it is his invited return to the country of Turkey, the centred location of the original “Midnight Express” and lead character in a real life horror story. Controversy has often surrounded the “Midnight Express” screenplay by Oliver Stone, which in the hands of director Alan Parker became a visual weapon against Turkey with its inordinate record of human rights violations. Sussman Morina gets to the task of getting inside Hayes himself, “the man, the myth, the legend” as the cliche goes. Is Hayes the victim or did he play the audience and the world with his emotional and physical experience? All that is explored with compassion and depth by Sussman Morina who imparts an outside looking in view of Mr. Hayes and his complicated relationship with Turkey. Well edited and thoughtfully executed, Ms. Sussman Morina lets Hayes reveal himself and showcases the effect the original film had on individual people and pop culture. A welcome directorial and production debut from a new voice on the documentary scene.

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.