Sunny in the Dark (2015) Reviews

• slow suspense

  bpladybug2016-05-23

  I liked this film. It is a very slow and thoughtful movie. The pace was slow and built toward some suspense. I would have liked a little more revelation and resolution with the female lead. Like who abused her so badly that she has permanent scars on her back. Maybe the WHO does not matter. What matters is that she is scarred. Two lovely people. One mentally ill, one providing mental health care. The music was beautiful and original. In fact the music was an intricate part of the film. The set was very plain, in fact this could be done as a play I think. It is a study in human behavior and the need to connect.

  More

• Interesting characters but unfortunately a muddled script!

  richardadesmond2018-09-14

  The film did a good job setting up the films core concept filled with interesting characters I was excited for the film to explore. Visually well executed with some nice camera moves. I like the idea he's a therapist with a reclusive/introvert mentality. Its just the film doesn't allow the viewer to understand why he is that way, it doesn't allow the viewer to understand/experience why he wants his ex back so much so I was always at a distance from him, never emotionally on board with him because the film never gave me the opportunity to. The lead also has no real active, overarching goal in the film, he gives up the pursuit of his ex half way through so I didn't really buy into the fact he wanted her back, why didn't he try to demonstrate how he has changed to her in a later scene? no, he just gives up. I honestly got bored of Jonah after a while, lots of scenes of him just making dinner, reading a book, painting his figurenes. I get it, he's a recluse but he isn't that much of a recluse, he goes out on a date with his neighbour, he goes to a cafe with his mother, he goes to a record store more than once and talks with said neighbour when he could easily buy records online. Is he a recluse or isn't he? It's not done in a believable, interesting way, he doesn't feel like a recluse so these scenes feel like padding to the run time. Note to writer: I paid good money to watch the film, the least I would expect from it is a character with a goal throughout the film in which the character relentlessly pursues it with stakes involved if he fails, take a note of that Mike; screenwriting 101! with no stakes there's nothing compelling to his character, if his mother or a friend were going to abandon him if he doesn't open up more and embrace life then it might be more interesting. Sunny is the one with stakes, she risks getting caught, losing someone she seems to want to get to know, going to prison, the film should really be about her and her reaching out to this reclusive man by helping him change in an anonymous way. If there was a scene where his mother, his ex or a friend he makes says they're going to stop talking to him if he doesn't open up more then you've got something at least he can actively work toward. If there is nothing at stake there is no reason to worry for Jonah, or really care about because if anything goes wrong he hasn't lost anything. I know i keep going on about stakes but it's so blatantly lacking in this film. I would say that when Jonah reaches out to God to thank him for getting the apartment and then Sonny takes on the role of God in my opinion by helping him change by her "from above" POV and her note taking, fairly nicely done writer/director, again, subtle-ish! It's a double edged sword with the type of protagonist, because he's a recluse and doesn't interact with people almost all of the time in terms of conflict you sacrefice much development of the character by lack of essential context about the character. The one time I was actually leaning in and was excited was when the rat catcher man was called to find the rat and told the manager that he would, I was interested to see if Sunny would be found out and what would happen thereafter, also the rat man was more relentless in his pursuit to find the rat than the protagonist was to get his ex back, wow!!! really? that's not a good thing! Little things would of also made the film more compelling like, she misses her wet footprint on the floor before she scales the ladder....is Jonah going to spot it?, will she be found? little things like that would of made the film drag a little less. As I said interesting characters if executed well, very well shot and really nice music just the script could of done with a few drafts to improve the structure and character development.

  More