“Janie’s just trying to get well.” “Trying” being the operative word. Written and directed by Ben Cresciman, Sun Choke is as much an arthouse film as it is horror. Fully embracing both of these identities, it is a jarringly beautiful display of equally disturbing materials. It would be an understatement to just say the film is intense. It’s threaded with a pervasive sense of confusion and anxiety, and punctuated by moments of further intensity, of violence, psychosis, and sexuality. All of this framed dissonantly with gorgeous cinematography and lighting, and brought to life by unbelievable performances from Sarah Hagan, Barbara Crampton, and Sara Malakul Lane. While it may be too dark or too arcane for some, Sun Choke is a must for those fond of the immersive, strange, and beautiful.
