Who Loves the Sun

You look at the cover of this DVD and you think, " I'm in the mood for a relationship-oriented independent film". So you get "Who Loves The Sun" and watch exactly what you thought you were getting. The actors perform according to the abilities you have seen them demonstrate before (although Lukas Haas was a more versatile actor as a child).

The story plays out according to plan, with some hi-jinx, some romance, some rivalry. Call it a generation Y coming of age story. It seems like the characters could just leave and go back to their lives, but they have to stick it out until everything gets resolved. Because that is what the story suggests. The cinematography is adequate. The dialog is up to today's independent movie standards. But wouldn't it be nice if something interesting happened?

I saw this movie at the AFI Dallas festival. Most of the audience, including my wife, enjoyed this comedy-drama, but I didn't. It stars Lucas Haas (Brick, Alpha Dog), Molly Parker (Kissed, The Five Senses, Hollywoodland) and Adam Scott (First Snow, Art School Confidential). The director is Matt Bissonnette, who's married to Molly Parker. All three actors do a fine job in this movie about 3 friends, the marriage of two of them and infidelity involving the third. It all takes place at a lake house and it looks wonderful. The film wants to treat its subject as a comedy first and then a drama, and I thought it needed to be the other way around.

Lukas Haas, who will forever be to me the terrific child actor in "Witness," seems miscast in this film. His movements and his delivery of his lines make him appear to be sleep walking through the movie. Maybe he is supposed to play the role as a slacker. But then there's the manuscript he supposedly wrote, which is, of course, supposed to be very good (according to his ex-wife). The script seems rather unbelievable with two friends eventually finding out a secret that makes even less sense and to me is unimportant to make the movie work. I did very much like Molly Parker, although she is a bit too old to be Haas' ex-wife in this movie. She exudes sensual energy. This film works hard at being an independent film, but the dialog is too choppy and the film plods on and on way to slowly. A much better film is the classic Roman Polanski's "Knife in the Water."

The issue of infidelity is usually used as a set-up for revenge thrillers in movies, while in the real world most people try to control their murderous impulses and navigate their way to reconciliation or separation. "Who Loves The Sun" opens with the sudden return of a young drifter to the lakeside community where he had grown up, five years after he had suddenly disappeared. Will had exiled himself after catching his wife, Maggie, having sex with his childhood best friend, Daniel. Ignorant about the infidelity, Daniel's parents offer Will shelter for the night - and while he sleeps, they call up their son and Maggie, who soon arrive seeking explanations for the prolonged absence - and the trio promptly begin wrestling with their various unresolved issues.

Writer/director Matt Bissonnette initially seems to take the situation with appropriate gravity, but gradually dilutes his film's credibility by choosing the comedic option time and again as the narrative unfolds. The excellent Molly Parker balances her performance nicely between poignant regret over her past behavior, and anger at Will's extreme response to her betrayal. In contrast, Will and Daniel are too often required to act out their conflict for laughs. They scuffle ineffectually, play stupid jokes on one another, jump impulsively into the lake fully-clothed, and stare sulkily into the distance until both of them look like petulant juveniles. By the time the story's big twist is revealed near the end, most viewers will feel as if they have been watching a light comedy rather than a drama - and it seems like a wasted opportunity for a nice idea and the luminist cinematography.

I didn't know anything about this movie going into it so I was pleasantly surprised after watching it. Prior to seeing it I had been watching some rather disappointing independent films, so I was very glad that I saw this entertaining picture.

Will returns to meet his friends Daniel and Maggie after a five year departure. Staying at the lakeside home of Daniel's parents, the group intervene, recalling their past and trying to fix their troubles together.

Starring Lukas Haas and Adam Scott, two actors I grew up watching on TV and on film, I was glad to see the two on screen together. And Molly Parker, R H Thomson, and Wendy Crewson complete the wonderful ensemble. With so many great interactions between the characters, the film is filled with excellent dialogue both dramatic and comedic. For a great character driven film, Who Loves the Sun is a perfect selection.