Joseph's Midnight Party is an AI-generated film that follows Joseph, a young man trapped in despair and dependency on medication and alcohol. Amid a surreal summer journey, he seeks escape from his troubled life.
The work reflects both a generation's struggles and a critique of a technology-driven era.
The film observes the life circumstances of the post-90s generation, whose cultural life and identity are inseparable from the internet and media.
Online gaming and constant information bombardment become a seductive pull, like a form of spiritual opium. Truth becomes difficult to discern, and the world gradually turns into an absurd playground.
The absurd playground is composed of visual symbols from dreams and reality. Daily experiences stimulate and alter Joseph’s subconscious, producing dream sequences in the desert and the airplane scene at the end.
The blending of dreams and reality creates a surreal sensory experience, reflecting Joseph’s perception and mental state under addiction to substances and alcohol.
The work is influenced by existentialist literature and media ecology, from Camus and Kafka to Neil Postman, while also drawing from personal experiences with video games, television, advertising, and political spectacle.
Credits
- Director: Axl Le
- Writer: Axl Le
- Producer: Ingvild Friis Bjerkeli
- Music & Sound: Sound Canvas
- Sound Supervision & Modular Synthesis: Tom Joyce
- Composition: Damian Pace
- Film Funding: Viken Filmsenter
Screening / Installation
- Installation View: New Reality; Curated by Jisun. Exhibition documentation courtesy of PJ Gallery, 2025. Photo by Pierre.
- Screening, LOOP Barcelona 2024, Cinemes Girona. Photo: Axl Le.
- Installation View: As the Sharp Narrative Fades, A Revealing Map Emerges Part 2; Curated by Yeo Joonsoo. Exhibition documentation courtesy of Chosun Gallery, 2024. Photo by Yeo Joonsoo.
- Installation View: Edging the Unscratchable Digital Itch; Curated by Lingxiang Wu. Exhibition documentation, 2025. Photo by Lingxiang Wu.
