Earlier this year I was swept up on Connor O’Hara and Lowkey film’s stirring and terrifying thriller Maengwyn. Tantalising and scary, the effective short definitely put the production company on the map. And here, with their proceeding film Sun in the Night, the team prove that they can take that excellence and put it towards hard hitting dramas such as this.
Sun in the Night centres on a small family struck by tragedy when the father, Mark, gets into a car accident that leaves him injured. When he returns to normal life, after a stint in this hospital, he cannot quite grasp his old self again. Tearing him further away from his family, can Mark regain who he was or continue pushing his family apart?
O’Hara’s drama is a poignant and hefty pieces that deals effectively with post traumatic stress and depression. Particularly in the first two thirds, O’Hara handles the sensitive issues surrounding Mark’s accident and the role is played incredibly well by Stephen Karl, who becomes this centric stunning character tackling the demons of his mind. Combining with the brilliant visuals, Lowkey films have developed a stirring short that highlights the difficulties that trauma can place you in whilst also opening up sympathetic reactions towards Mark. It’s a shame that the connotations of “you have loved ones there for you” aren’t entirely fleshed out as well as the first half. In fact, the story dissolves into a bit of a “snapping out of it” and “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone” feel that forces this perception of trauma being a linear healing process. Though this may not be the line of thought initially, and talking to O’Hara its clear it should be more of an empathic response to carers in that situation. However, it is tackled a little bit ham handed for the end to sit well. Especially with some off key acting moments throughout. It’s a great effort, even with this unrealised end and stiff acting. And highlights a promising career for Connor O’Hara, Jamie Gamache and Lowkey Films
Sun In The Night will be released on Monday
