As an adult, it’s easy to reminisce on your younger days. To look back at the many things you used to do. To think back on what could’ve been instead of focusing on the current life that you’re living now. What would’ve happened if you had taken that chance all those years ago? Would you still be the same person that you are today? Would you have the relationships that you formed? The most important question of all: Is it worth still chasing that dream? And if the answer is yes, are you doing it for the right reason? Magic Hour provides the answers to these questions as we step into the life of a woman who looks back at what could’ve been and decides to finally take control of her life.
Jacqueline Christy brings her feature debut, Magic Hour, to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for its world premiere. It tells the story of Harriet (Miriam Shor), a once-promising filmmaker, who is stuck in the suburbs of New Jersey. Alienated from her cheating husband and spurned by her teenage daughter, she secretly enrols in film school. She leads a double life and loves the gruelling yet exhilarating world of student filmmaking. But when she gets fired from her own film and found out by her daughter, Harriet must decide if her life’s ambition is pure folly or a dream worth saving.
This is a movie that makes you question the acts of its characters and how they go about handling their issues. Harriet is stuck in a household where she has to deal with Ben (Josh Stamberg), her husband, whom she’s been suspecting of cheating, while dealing with Emma (Cameron Morton), her daughter who’s at the point in her life where anything her mother says is an annoyance to her. Harriet’s life is seemingly falling apart right before our very eyes, but when she’s invited to the anniversary of the film festival’s gala, she’s reminded about the life she once wanted to live. The life of a filmmaker. Unfortunately for her, this is not something she wants her family to discover, as she doesn’t believe they’ll approve of her dream. Jacqueline showcases this with Ben’s treatment of Harriet and how he undermines her.
Ben is a character that you increasingly despise as the movie goes on, but he’s also quite realistic and truthful with his words, although they may be hurtful and discouraging. Josh Stamberg excels in this role as he’s able to feel like a villain while also still having some humanity left within him. Jacqueline Christy delivers masterful writing as she manages to write all of these characters, some of which you love and others you can’t stand to see any more of on the screen, but what they all have in common is that they all feel like real people. People that are doing what they must to get by in what is jokingly said in the film to be a “dog eat dog” world.
After waiting 20+ years and finally feeling the urge to return to that dream of being a filmmaker, Harriet does everything in her power to get to where she needs to be. When it’s making tough decisions between saving your house from being taken from you or taking a loan out to return to film school, she decides to do the latter, which shows the dedication and love that she has for filmmaking.
It’s shown in the opening scene of the film, where we see her in the cinema, watching a film on an empty screen with tears flowing down her face. She makes her way home, and Edward Chin, John Rafanelli, and Alan Wu’s editing with the combination of Lasse Ulvedal Tolbøll’s cinematography leaves a lasting effect not only on Harriet as the scene plays out continuously on the window of her train ride home or the windows of her house, but Christy manages to also leave one on us by the end of the film, replicating that same feeling Harriet had at the start.
It was perfectly understandable why Harriet was hiding this from her husband (soon to be divorced); she knew how he was going to react. The question that had to be asked was why she was hiding this from her daughter, who is currently in school to be an actor. Wouldn’t she be understanding? Fear. She was scared of losing further respect from Emma, who at this point is the only person she’d have in her life. The two characters have a beautiful scene together that shines as a highlight of this film.
Christy’s comedic writing is a perfect match with Miriam Shor’s timing that just elevates the film with its subtle moments. Magic Hour’s first half is more light-hearted compared to the second half. It’s fun watching Harriet working with younger people as they try to make their student films, but it all flips when she gets to make her first real film. The harsh realities of a film set are shown and the power struggle that can be seen when there are disagreements. Harriet mentally goes through a lot in this movie; she deals with toxicity in several men, and it only gets worse as she gets closer to realising her dream.
This is a film that’s personal to me and still resonates with me after the credits rolled and after interviewing Jacqueline Christy, Miriam Shor and Josh Stamberg. It calls back to moments within my own life and also that fear of if people in my life think it’s worth my time returning to film school to learn about what I love. Magic Hour shows the lows and highs of creating a film and likely downplays the chaos that can ensue. It balances the comedy so well with its drama without favouring one over the other.
What makes Magic Hour such a powerful movie is that it shows how far kindness can take you in a leadership role. Harriet is surrounded by people in her life that fail to show her kindness, and the audience witnesses the outcome of these so-called people who step all over her. All anyone wants in a work environment is a boss that’s kind-hearted, and Magic Hour shows the difference between a leadership based on hunger for power/control and one based off kindness.
Magic Hour is a phenomenal feature debut from Jacqueline Christy that’s already a highlight of 2025 and is likely to stay as one of the best indie films of the year. Jacqueline Christy has created something special and unique, taking parts of her own life and showing that there is some light in the world. Miriam Shor is the leading woman of the film, as everything lands on her shoulder, but she’s followed by a commanding ensemble cast that matches her with performances that will leave you in awe. It’s a movie that comes straight from the heart and reaches out to connect with its audience that also has a love for the art of film.
Magic Hour premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
