Sunset

I'm not sure I've ever sat through an entire movie with acting that bad. I've seen many independent films and I know sometimes the acting leaves allot to be desired but the acting in this movie made me laugh out loud. And it's not a comedy. Sure it's a serious topic and it's definitely thought provoking but that's not everything that a movie needs to be good... or decent... or even pretty bad. THIS MOVIE IS NONE OF THOSE THINGS. IT'S HORRIBLE.

What would you do differently if you thought your life might be in danger?

Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that showed how complex relationships can be. For example, an offhand remark can really sting even if the person saying it was trying to be funny, and someone's childhood experiences can still affect them decades later. The director and writers did a good job of exploring these topics in ways that also tied into the main storyline even when I didn't originally think there would be much of a connection between them at all.

I would have liked to see more character development in this film, especially when it came to their pasts and how they all met. There were a few scenes that lightly touched on this subject, but I was still left with many questions about why certain characters behaved the way that they did. For example, Chris' rough childhood seemed like it could have provided a lot of fodder for both the troubled relationship he had with alcohol that was obvious from the very first scene to how he ended up living with Henry and Patricia as their surrogate child.

The dialogue was fast-paced and topical. It was especially interesting to see how everyone reacted to the possibility of their neighbourhood being attacked by a nuclear weapon. Planning an evacuation is more complicated than it may seem, especially for people who are physically disabled or have other things going on in their lives that make it difficult to travel. The opening scene did a particularly good job of using dialogue to introduce everyone and share hints about what they were openly, or sometimes quietly, struggling with in their lives before the public service announcements began.

Sunset was a thought-provoking story.

You get swept of the theme of the film. The subject of the film is really close to our hearts regarding the current political climate. It was great to see a film that was inclusive of different age groups, and ethnicities.

This movie is definitely a character movie, dealing with the ultimate death of the world as we know it. It's lack of action scenes really underscores the reality of the storyline. A super heavy subject that is well hidden in these modern times. It's not Bruce Willis Hollywood action type of fiction, but a genuine look into the lives of ordinary people who are powerless to influence their future and are at the mercy of political men in suits that control nuclear Armageddon. The characters develop slowly over the entire course of the movie, and provide an emotional finale that makes you appreciate all of them for their differences when facing the inevitable end. The subject theme is well worth the introspection. Nobody "wins" a nuclear war. Die now, or die later.

Early on I got the impression that this movie had a specific political message it was trying to promote. Instead, we followed the lives of a small group of people and their diverse response to a developing scenario. One which isn't that impossible to believe could happen.

Obviously a low budget production but the story rang true. What would I do? What would my family do? What would you do?