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Harley Chamandy’s first film, Allen Sunshine, takes place at a remote cabin by a lake in wilderness terrain, where Allen, a past music producer, withdraws after his wife’s death.

The narrative starts in calm seclusion, with Allen accompanied only by his dog, Sully, and the surrounding natural sounds he captures and transforms into musical compositions. His withdrawal seems less about running away and more about finding comfort within nature’s rhythmic patterns.

Chamandy’s work demonstrates remarkable skill for an emerging filmmaker, establishing a contemplative atmosphere that permeates the entire film.

The landscape’s quietude reflects Allen’s emotional state, presenting a narrative where recovery emerges through patient waiting rather than dramatic events. The film’s restrained approach captures emotional subtleties with remarkable precision.

In the Quiet: Grief and Connection in Allen Sunshine

Harley Chamandy’s film presents a deep exploration of grief and recovery through the story of Allen,...

Debut director Harley Chamandy shows promise with a skilfully constructed portrait of a former music producer searching for simplicity and solace

Shot when director Harley Chamandy was 22, making him the youngest recipient of the Werner Herzog award for “special achievement in innovation, courage and vision”, this short Canadian drama digs into the peaceable Kaspar Hauser rather than the megalomaniac Aguirre end of the Herzog spectrum. Starring Vincent Leclerc as the eponymous former music producer taking refuge in a lakeside house, it has a disarming simplicity and aura of benevolence.

Allen Sunshine is a man who seems to have successfully decluttered his life. Accompanied by his great dane, Sully, he spends his time recording nature sounds in the surrounding woods and tweaking his electronica music indoors. He is, though, in recovery from trauma; an unannounced visit from his brother prises open his past in the music industry. And when he meets...

Directed with a sense of tranquil serenity and grounded maturity one might be accustomed to finding in the work of a seasoned director, Allen Sunshine is, quite remarkably, the debut feature of 25-year-old Harley Chamandy. The Montreal-born, New York-based filmmaker received the 2024 Werner Herzog Film Prize for his feature following its Munich Film Festival premiere earlier this year. Having participated in Herzog’s workshop as a 17-year-old, Chamandy’s shared affinity with the legendary German director for the natural world is quite apparent. Shot on 16mm by Kenny Suleimanagich, who brings a painterly touch in capturing the woodland landscape, Allen Sunshine is an affecting, understated look at picking up a life destroyed, and finding a connection with the people that can help put the pieces back together.

Still finding his emotional footing after the sudden death of his wife Eloise, a world-renowned musician whose career he had a hand in launching,...