Sundown

FILM INFO:
An elderly man embarks on a journey, to come to terms with his own mortality.

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Sundown - a short film

Sundown
( 2017 )
Written by: Ryan Hendrick, Clare Sheppard | Directed By: Ryan Hendrick | Genre: Drama | Length: 12 minutes.

For myself, "Sundown" was both simple and complicated. A short film that somehow manages to exist in both realms of complexity. When the narrative finally revealed itself for what it truly was, it was kind of hard to see it for anything different. You may think you know the direction of this short film, and just may end up surprised at the implications - when the credits start to roll. However, you won't "really" be surprised - at least I wasn't. The "real" story being told is not hidden at all. It's right out in the open. In the narration, and even with a few visual queues scattered within the ten or so minutes length. Tag you're it! Clever clever Mr. Hendrick. This short film is not just the story of an elderly man, during the last bit of his life. It's also about our narrator. A daughter. Maybe... just maybe, even more about her than him. It's hard to really explain without giving away the entire movie. Rest assured ladies and gents, it will all make perfect sense after watching it. Or... maybe it won't be so perfect. You see... "Sundown" is infused with a unique presentation style. I, personally, may think I get it. Yet I can easily see someone else not seeing what I see. I guess time will tell.
Now let us talk production shall we? To be blunt... I was pleasantly surprised and delighted at what I witnessed. Ryan Hendrick, who wrote and directed, knows how to concoct a great running film. Visually, this is one of the better pieces I've seen in a long time. Maybe even one of the best. The cinematic quality, color and overall "feel" of the visuals, easily matched or even exceeded most higher budgeted productions. It all really looks that good. There is no doubt that the location of this film helped a lot. Hell... every single shot "could" be a postcard, and is just stunning to look at. But that's just it. Even beautiful locations can be messed up with bad cinematography. That's not the case here. The camera showcases the beauty - and that reader - is pure skill. Now, add in a slick video edit, and some nice audio, and you've got one hell of a production with only one more ingredient needed. Some good acting. I'm pleased to write that although "Sundown" is narrated ninety percent of the time, our two leading cast mates both do splendid jobs. Both in verbal communication and physical. Easy to believe - and that's all that counts.
I mentioned the postcard beauty of the film location above, and stand by my comments on just how much they add to this production. At the same time however, there was a little much. Removing some of the montage styled shots, that were essentially pointless to the story in such numbers, would have been an excellent choice. Cutting a minute and a half, or two, would really do wonders for the dramatic pacing of the story. I understand that cutting out such beauty is a hard sell, but having so many shots, that essentially do nothing to push the story forward, save maybe to showcase a nice landscape, ends up hurting the beauty it tries to show off. Seeing twelve different shots of waves crashing into the shore, kind of kills the beauty of seeing just one or two. The same goes for the greenery or rolling hills. Truth be told, this is a pretty small thing to complain about... but I did catch myself thinking it as I watched.
At the end of the day this is a fantastic short film. Both in terms of the story itself and the visuals. Some real effort went into this production and it really shows. I consider myself lucky to have seen this a little early, and have no doubt "Sundown" will garner the praise it deserves. All in all? An earned and deserved four out of five stars. Something to truly be proud of.