Sun Choke

Gratuitous sex scenes, gratuitous (female as per usual) nudity, close-up gory blood and violence. All those predictable clichés and for what? A story about a mental patient with a weird Auntie. No real twists or plot and plenty of things that don't add up or make sense and are never explained.

Sun Choke is an unusual but solid film. It's not especially original but especially with the strong performances of the two leads it's different enough in presentation that it's not a boring watch.

So why am I writing a review? To express my bewilderment that there are multiple comparisons in other reviews to the Greek film Dogtooth. I had to stretch my brain to near breaking to realize, "Oh yes, there is one tiny aspect of similarity, but even that utterly marginal plot point falls under another few seconds of scrutiny." Anyone comparing these two films: A, hasn't seen Dogtooth; B, hasn't seen Sun Choke; C, saw both but was too busy shopping on Amazon Prime to notice what was happening during either film.

For what it's worth, I'm one of the sad minority who thought Dogtooth was not a masterpiece. Interesting premises, boring results. Maybe I'm just not intellectual enough. Of the two films, Sun Choke is the more fleshed-out and for most viewers will likely be the more enjoyable. Watch Dogtooth if you want a bunch of random ideas that are never really built into any kind of thesis, which I'm sure is more enjoyable if you're not interested in the writer's or director's opinions on their own themes. It's an utter Rorschach test of a film. While far from typical, Sun Choke is much more traditional in terms of plot (of which Dogtooth has almost none) and character development (of which Dogtooth is completely devoid)

The sets are almost all white, from the walls to the furniture, and even the pale faces. Irma (Barbara Compton) is the caretaker/nurse, in charge of Janie (Sarah Hagen) who, while an adult, is almost child like and treated as such. She is made to respond to children's problem solving games. Irma is very strict, and keeps warning her if she misbehaves, her father will be very upset. But, of course, she never even talks to her father. But Irma is a master of putting a guilt trip on Janie. There is little as to why Janie is that way, and part way through the movie she may have been terribly assaulted at one time (in a flashback). While she acts like a child, she is given the chance to go out and drive alone, as long as she follows the rules. She starts to stalk a young woman, Savannah. Of course, she violates the rules, and she is punished. Even to the point of having a dog (shock) collar on. We find out later this with Irma has been going on for a very, very long time, since birth. It takes a very dark turn and takes time to build up to the real horror, and some may feel it is not worth the wait. Some compare it to Dogtooth, but there, more family members are confined to their home area, by a father who is also very manipulative. This is really confined to the inside of the home, with minimal exceptions, which don't register as opportunities with Janie, since she has been well trained to obey Irma. Strong performances.

This film cracks the puzzle of making a dreamy, surreal and non-chronological narrative engaging. In this regard it uses similar devices as Mulholland Drive and Repulsion - yet it is far from a simple clone. Most importantly it has convincing portrayals of the three significant protagonists (great acting by all 3) and a winning combination of setting and soundtrack. At a deeper level, it successfully conveys the twisted but coherent logic employed by the lead as she struggles to attain a sense of security. The audience is encouraged not to be sympathetic but cognisant of the thinking which leads Janie down her narrative path.

I had to "steal" this summary line from that one other review on IMDb (at this time), because it hits the nail on the head. Actually the review is very thorough overall, but this tag alone should be an indication if the movie itself is something you want to watch. Even without that tag line I went to watch it, not knowing anything except the title of the movie itself of course.

And while it's slow moving/brewing, which might not be most people cup of tea, I have to say that it fits the movie and the story. There is incidental nudity and there is weirdness abound too. Characters behavior may not be easily explained under "normal" circumstances, but the movie is not describing normal at all. This gets clear pretty early on. Does it still sound like something you want to watch? It's not easy let me tell you that. Especially when our main character gets "schooled".

There are a couple of themes here, rebellion, growing up, exploring and more and all packed in a psycho horror setting that will either feel "delightful" or nauseating, depending on your viewing habits. It's just a movie, so you'll either like the art created or loathe it