Sun Choke

For me at least, this film is a masterpiece of extreme character study and psych intrigue extracted from a very minimal budget, but parlayed into a brilliantly visual and emotional experience.

It would be redundant to replicate the detailed description that has been more than aptly articulated by previous reviewers, so I'll simply limit my commentary to a general sense of quality of experience, and in that context, this production deserves high marks.

Yes, some of the editing can seem to be a bit jagged, like a puzzle who's pieces snap into place at quasi random moments, but still leave enough holes to require a fair amount of contemplation for the viewer to complete the intended picture.

But that's part of the beauty of this production, in that it absolutely pulls you in, requiring an attention to detail without becoming a tedious exercise for comprehension.

Sarah Hagan matches her character as Janie perfectly. If anything, she makes the experience uniquely hers, as it would be difficult to imagine anyone else being able to capture the essence of Janie with such depth and precision.

The content itself is disturbing, make no doubt about that.

This film is certainly not for everyone. But for those who can appreciate this genre of story and character study, it's a superb expression of the artform.

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 needs some time it is a slow burn . This film works as a character study of in large part because of how committed actress Sarah Hagan is to playing 'Janie's' derangement. It is never really made clear why 'Janie' is a troubled soul suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal violent social behavior. 'Sun Choke' has excellent acting from all characters. The film all things add up to the creation of one evocative, trippy film that is sure to run chills down your spine. 'Sun Choke' offers a unique experience that'll leave you surprised and intrigued. Make note of the 105:39 minute mark. The film really gets its (freak) on

Jane (Sarah Hagan ) has been spending the last few weeks (maybe months or years?) of her life stuck in her spacious, but cold Hollywood hills home under the care of nurse Irma (Barbara Crampton). It seems that something happened in Janie's life to force her into seclusion, but Irma feels that, now, enough time has passed for Janie to at least try to go outside and mingle with the rest of the world.

On her first day out, Janie notices a young woman who she becomes enamored with and she begins stalking her and, soon, she's coming in late much to the chagrin of Irma who has to find a way to keep her in line. In typical horror film fashion, things don't go as expected and a few people have to die.

Despite the gorgeous visuals and excellent performances, Sun Choke is a confounding and confusing experience from start to finish. At first, one thinks that perhaps the filmmakers are withholding important information from us to build towards some major revelation or twist at the end, but once the end credits come up, we're just as confused as we were when we first started the film.

Why is Janie cooped up in the house? What happened to her mother? Where's her father? Because we don't know a thing about Janie or her circumstances, it makes it nearly impossible to root for her and she becomes a cardboard cutout. What could have been an interesting story about two very different women becomes an empty spectacle for extreme violence with no answers.

Sun Choke almost feels as if the filmmakers secured a great location and cast and just made it up as they went along.

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.