Parisian Spite and Helium: A Review of I'll Be Alone After Midnight (1933)

Is it worth watching?

You should probably watch this if you have a soft spot for 1930s French comedies that feel like they were written on a cocktail napkin. It’s a vibey movie, mostly.

If you hate old movies where people talk way too fast and the audio sounds like someone is frying bacon in the background, skip it. But for anyone who likes seeing how people used to do 'dating apps' before phones existed, it’s a hoot. 🎈

The movie is called I'll Be Alone After Midnight, which sounds like a thriller, but it's really just about a woman who is really mad at her husband. It’s got that specific kind of French spite that feels almost sophisticated.

The premise is honestly kind of legendary. This woman’s marriage is basically a dumpster fire, so she decides to take a lover for one night just to get even.

But she doesn’t just go to a bar like a normal person. No, she finds a balloon man on the street and buys his entire stock.

Imagine the logistics of that for a second. She just grabs hundreds of balloons and lets them fly into the Parisian sky.

Every single balloon has a little note attached that says, "I will be alone after midnight." It’s like the 1933 version of a chaotic thirst trap on Instagram.

The scene where the balloons go up is actually quite pretty, even in grainy black and white. You can tell they actually released a ton of balloons, and they just drift over the city rooftops.

It’s much more whimsical than something like The Gold Rush, which was around the same era but felt more like a staged play. This feels like they just ran around Paris with a camera.

Then the suitors start showing up. This is where the movie gets really crowded and a bit messy.

You’ve got a soldier, a fisherman who looks like he got lost on the way to the docks, and a traveler. It’s like a Village People lineup but eighty years early.

There is also a "gentleman cambrioleur" which is a very French way of saying a polite thief. I think he’s supposed to be a nod to Arsène Lupin.

He’s wearing this tuxedo that looks a bit too big for him. It’s these little details that make me love these old films—nothing ever fits perfectly.

One of the suitors, the soldier, has this mustache that is so thick it looks like it’s going to fall off his face. I spent about ten minutes just staring at it instead of listening to the dialogue.

The movie gets noticeably better once all these guys are in the same room. It turns into a farce where everyone is trying to out-gentleman each other while the husband is just... there.

Michel is the young man who is actually in love with her, and he is miserable the whole time. His face is just a constant scowl.

I felt for Michel, honestly. Imagine the girl you love inviting the entire city over for a party you weren't really invited to.

The writing is actually sharper than you'd think. One of the writers was Henri-Georges Clouzot.

Yes, that Clouzot. The guy who did the really dark thrillers later on.

You can see little flashes of his cynical humor here. It’s not a "profound exploration of romance" or whatever—it’s just people being petty and weird.

Some of the scenes go on for a bit too long. Like, there’s a conversation between the suitor and the maid that feels like it was added just to hit a runtime.

And the music is... loud. It’s that constant, jaunty orchestral stuff that never stops even when people are just breathing.

I found myself wishing they would just have ten seconds of silence. But I guess in 1933, they were still excited that movies could make noise at all.

It’s not as polished as Everybody's Acting or some of the bigger Hollywood stuff from that year. It feels a bit more scrappy.

There’s this one shot of the husband looking out the window that lingers for about five seconds too long. It becomes funny because he just looks like he’s forgotten his next line.

The ending is a bit rushed, too. It’s like they realized they only had two minutes of film left and had to wrap up six different plot lines.

But overall? It’s charming. It’s the kind of movie you watch on a rainy Sunday when you don’t want to think too hard.

It’s short, it’s got balloons, and it’s got a thief in a tuxedo. What else do you really need?

Didja notice?

• The balloon man looks genuinely confused during the transaction. 🎈
• The soldier’s hat is perpetually tilted at a 45-degree angle.
• Parisian apartments in the 30s were apparently massive.
• There is a lot of wine drinking. Like, a lot. 🍷
• The "midnight" clock looks like it was made of cardboard.
• The fisherman is carrying a net. Why did he bring a net to a date? 🎣

If you’ve seen La perle, you’ll recognize that same sort of surreal French energy. It doesn't always make sense, but it doesn't really have to.

I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. It’s more like a very funny mistake that someone decided to film.

Go in with low expectations for the plot and high expectations for the hats. You won't be disappointed.