Ishmael

Ishmael

What madness would make you king?

20 min · Fantasy, Drama

In a place lost to history, soldiers are sent to cull a rebellion brought on by mass psychosis. Ishmael, the executioner, and Boethius, an officiating priest, have grown tired of this bloodwork. When they’re tasked with killing Absalom, a delusional pig farmer who believes himself the royal heir, the two must make a decision; to execute him or to encourage his delusion. A path that could either absolve them of guilt or leave all three dead.

Directed by Louis Joblin · Written by Louis Joblin

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

2h 24m together

Ishmael

The Elephant Man

A close match in mood and era.

More from Louis JoblinSee all →

The Lascar

The Lascar · 2024

MovieHistoryAdventure

At the end of the 18th century, hundreds of Indian sailors, known as lascars, worked amongst European settlers in Aotearoa New Zealand - often under the gruesome working conditions of seal hunting gangs. The story follows a lascar, Dasa, who has been abandoned on the coast of Aotearoa NZ by the East India Company, alongside his sealing gang. When Dasa finds himself in the middle of a conflict between his abusive British superior and two Māori traders, he is faced with a choice: bend the knee or take a stand.

A Place to Hide

A Place to Hide · 2026

A Place to Hide

Trapped in a game of hide-and-seek gone wrong, a young girl watches her world unravel from the confines of a closet, haunted by a tragedy that keeps her hidden long after the game ends.

More Like This

The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man · 1980

The Elephant Man

MovieDramaHistory

A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity. Based on the true story of Joseph Merrick (called John Merrick in the film), a severely deformed man in 19th century London.

1984

MovieScience FictionDrama

In a totalitarian future society, a man whose daily work is rewriting history tries to rebel by falling in love.

Bell, Book and Candle

Bell, Book and Candle · 1958

Bell, Book and Candle

MovieComedyFantasy

Gillian Holroyd, a modern-day witch, becomes smitten with her handsome upstairs neighbor, Shep Henderson. Using her magical powers, she casts a love spell on him, only to face unexpected complications when genuine feelings emerge, threatening her supernatural abilities.

Alice in the Cities

Alice in the Cities · 1974

Alice in the Cities

German journalist Philip Winter has a case of writer’s block when trying to write an article about the United States. He decides to return to Germany, and while trying to book a flight, encounters a German woman and her nine year old daughter Alice doing the same. The three become friends (almost out of necessity) and while the mother asks Winter to mind Alice temporarily, it quickly becomes apparent that Alice will be his responsibility for longer than he expected.

Cléo from 5 to 7

Cléo from 5 to 7 · 1962

Cléo from 5 to 7

Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy. A chronicle of the minutes of one woman’s life, Cléo from 5 to 7 is a spirited mix of vivid vérité and melodrama, featuring a score by Michel Legrand and cameos by Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans · 1927

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

MovieDramaRomance

A married farmer falls under the spell of a slatternly woman from the city, who tries to convince him to drown his wife.

Stalag 17

Stalag 17 · 1953

MovieComedyDrama

After two American prisoners are killed by guards in the act of escaping from a German POW camp in World War II, barracks black marketeer J.J. Sefton is suspected of being an informer.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter