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Review by James Lindorf
Coming-of-age films live and die by how authentically they capture the feeling of being young. The sense of adventure or finding your place in a world that seems to have handed everyone else a map. “The Midway Point” arrives on digital platforms on May 19th courtesy of Level 33 Entertainment, written and directed by Lucca Vieira. The 23-year-old Brazilian-American filmmaker wrote the semi-autobiographical script at 17 and directed it at 20, drawing on Vieira’s experience of being diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at 12 and of spending his high school years struggling to connect with the world around him. While Vieira works to highlight a modern adolescent experience, you can feel the inspiration of films like “Lost in Translation” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”
Jake (Sean Ryan Fox) is an isolated high school senior who keeps the world at arm’s length after most of his attempts to connect are ignored. When Jake meets Alice (Catharine Daddario), an outgoing senior battling her own struggles with depression and impulse control, something shifts. If they are willing to put in the effort and push past their fears and misconceptions, they could be just what each other has been searching for. “The Midway Point” features a veteran supporting cast with Thora Birch and Wes Studi.
Sean Ryan Fox, best known for playing Jasper, the goofy best friend on “Henry Danger,” handles the dramatic weight of Jake better than you might expect. He goes a bit over the top in some of the more emotionally heightened moments, occasionally feeling forced, but for the most part, he is a convincing and sympathetic presence. Catharine Daddario, younger sister of Alexandra, is good throughout and has the natural charisma to make Alice feel like someone worth upending your life for if you can break through her toxic shell. If she keeps working on her craft, she could easily surpass her sister as a respected actress.
Thora Birch and Wes Studi lend their names and talent to the supporting cast. However, Birch is mostly present as a voice on the phone, with only two scenes to make an impression as Jake’s mother. Studi fares better as a teacher trying to get Jake to engage with the parts of school he doesn’t care about, arguing that sometimes you have to do the things that don’t matter to reach the things that do. Whether this is something he does for any struggling kid or whether he has a special investment in Jake is never made clear, and a little more depth in that relationship would have gone a long way.
The film is Vieira’s feature debut as both writer and director, and the gap between those two roles is noticeable. As a director, he shows real promise. He partnered with Noah Luke on strong cinematography and use of color, features a carefully chosen soundtrack that includes songs Vieira worked on himself with composer Daniel Figueiredo, and shows a confident hand with his performers. As a writer, the story meanders in ways that make the title feel like an unanswered question. What exactly are these characters at the midway point of? The writing leans too hard on giving both characters comparable conditions to justify their bond, but unlike Alice, we never know for certain what is driving Jake’s isolation. Though it is shared in promotional material, the film never names his condition outright, and outside of his difficulty making connections, the symptoms are understated enough that Jake himself wonders if he might just be depressed. It is worth remembering that Vieira wrote this at 17 in the midst of an experience similar to Jake’s. When you struggle to make connections in your daily life, it stands to reason that writing fully realized relationships on the page might present a similar challenge. What the writing does get right is Jake’s explanation of his attraction to Alice. Around her, he is not second-guessing every word and action. That calm and sense of belonging are worth protecting, and you believe that Jake would do almost anything to stay near Alice.
“The Midway Point” will hit very differently depending on who is watching. For teenagers who have ever felt like an outsider, parents trying to understand the world their kids are quietly navigating, or for fans of shows like “Love on the Spectrum,” this could be a moving experience. For everyone else, it is a cute and undemanding 87 minutes, perfectly suited to folding laundry while rooting for two awkward kids. Vieira is a talent worth watching, earning a 3 out of 5 on his first attempt.
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Romance, Drama, Coming-of-Age, Independent
Original Language: English
Release Date (Digital): May 19th, 2026
Runtime: 1h 27m
Director: Lucca Vieira
Producer: Carolina Brasil, Daemon Hillin, Anselmo Martini
Screenwriter: Lucca Vieira
Distributor: Level 33 Entertainment
Production Co: Stone Horus Media, Hillin Entertainment
