Throw in some vampires, dark frames, dimly-lit shots, shadows and an intense mother-child equation, and that's Suicide by Sunlight for you. Eschewing the predominantly white Western characteristics of the vampire genre, the film shows black vampires who have an edge over their racial counterparts owing to the melanin content in their skin. Consequently, they can walk out in broad daylight without the fear of bursting into flames, or worse, sparkling. The story is of a mother who juggles between her profession as a nurse and her survival as a vampire. As she fights her former husband over their two daughters, the film provides a skilled and moving performance by Natalie Paul. Her attempts to straddle between being a blood-thirsty killer to being an affectionate mother is explored expertly by the film. Add to it her third identity of being a medical professional who is caring and invested in her patients enough to assuage their misery when need be, and the film becomes an adept engagement with several topics despite its short length.

Suicide by Sunlight | Short Film of the Day

Ichor, which simply means the blood of gods, ensures that the film has led the viewer by hand to its core intentions right at the beginning with its very title. Ichor also has a link to human wounds, which is employed further in the narrative when the protagonist asserts his own knowledge of wounds. In terms of the story, what begins as a losing battle for him and his fellow-soldiers in the nineteenth century eventually comes full circle in the twenty first. The narrative strives to bring in adventure, action, fantasy and drama to further embellish its story. Our protagonist is a man who has known loss and personal tragedy. Consequently, when he finds himself staring directly into the face of death in the form of a blood-sucking being who has killed all his companions, there is little that makes him flinch. He is ready to embrace his end, and yet, life has something else in store for him. The story further invokes Mary Shelley and the inspiration she drew from the myth of Prometheus for her masterpiece, Frankenstein. The film endeavors to invoke a conversation on life and death, on loss, love, tragedy, and more explicitly, one's idea of the nation. It is well-intentioned and sincere, almost theatrical in its performances and character developments. However, if the same theatricality could have been replaced with a little more effortlessness, it would have benefitted the film more.

American Ichor | Short Film Nominee

The film wants to tell a story of vampires and how their paths cross with a human who is determined to set right a wrong done to her. Her fiance, who was working on a mission to end the evil acts brought about by the supernatural beings, is discovered by the latter as being their nemesis. Consequently, they waste no time in putting an end to his life. The death arrives soon after he has proposed to his girlfriend. His surviving fiance then takes it upon herself to avenge her slain lover. Now that she has embarked upon this journey, will she truly succeed or be met with the same fate as him? The film wants to share a story of fantasy and murder, but could have spent more time on the edit table to be able to exercise better control on its sound.

Most Viewed

Genres

Awards

Follow Us

Quick Links