Audience Member
I was impressed greatly by the acting of Sheil and Audley. These are very real, true to life people, so similar to some I've come across in my time. Tone is set and maintained well throughout. It was clear by this first full-length picture that Amy Seimitz had potential as a filmmaker/writer to go along with her acting skills.
This movie reminded some of the film "Wanda" I just watched recently. Similar sort of rather uninteresting, pathetic, hopeless losers in the South. The story was a bit thin, but there was certainly no need for exposition really, and it is not a factor in the movie, which is indicative of Seimitz's work as she has said she hates exposition. The acting carried the day in this one, but I was not enthralled much otherwise. 2.7 stars
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/20/23
Full Review
ronald h
Depressing and dismal, _Sun Don't Shine_ chronicles a trip through Florida with two young dimwits, a girl who has stabbed her husband and her construction worker boyfriend. The husband's body is in the trunk of their old beater car which, of course, has no air conditioning, so everybody sweats a lot. Come to think of it, in every Florida movie I ever saw, everybody sweats a lot.
They're on their way to the Everglades to dump the husband's body, but things, naturally, go very wrong.
It sounds like a black comedy, but it's not. It takes itself very seriously. Unfortunately, the audience does not.
Kate Lyn Shell's performance, which alternates between sullen, whiny, and histrionic, is unimpressive. Kentucker Audley fares a tad better as the laconic boyfriend, but not by much. We don't like him; we don't like her. Unlikeable protagonists are tricky business. It takes a skilled writer and director to keep us interested in them. That doesn't happen here.
The middle of the film drags badly. There is really no action until the final scenes, and the ending is self-consciously ambiguous. No spoilers here--not that it matters.
The funky, steamy Florida landscape is filmed with a kind of hazy tint, which works well, and there are mildly amusing scenes at the ultra-tacky mermaid show at Weeki Wachee.
I'm a big fan of low budget indie films, and I've seen many that were really outstanding. Not this one, sorry to say. Annoyingly poor performances, a sketchy and disjointed script, and too much gloomy affectation ensure that this film lives up to its name.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I think a lot of times directors spend so much effort on getting a film to match their image of what it should be, they forget that a succinct ending is necessary. The ending should say something, wrap things up and make it worthwhile to have sat through the thing. I am tired of directors who think this isn't important, especially after their doing such a good job of establishing mood, texture, acting quality, etc.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/23/23
Full Review
Audience Member
As a young man, I drove in the Texas heat without air conditioning. Sun Don't Shine brought back those memories since the featured couple drives seemingly the length of Florida with air conditioning. Riding that way envelopes you in a kind of hot windy sultriness - that's the tone of this film as the couple seeks to rid themselves of her murdered husband in the Everglades. The acting is very good, Kate Lyn Sheil is exceptional as waif-like simple-minded Crystal. A shout out too to Kentucker Audley who becomes increasingly desperate during the road trip. Johnny C sez check it out if you like road trip movies.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/17/23
Full Review
nefasto r
This super low-cost production kept me interested at the beginning, while I was wondering what the hell was going on, but when the picture becomes clear, there is nothing really new or amazing about "Sun don't shine". Good performances and a raw approach save the movie, but it will be easy to forget.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Cinematic style on a shoe string budget. Amy Seimetz may prove to be as gifted a filmmaker as she is an actor. The performances are naturalistically realistic and this atmospheric little film is a disturbing experience that will haunt you long after it is over.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
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