Film No. 53 (2016) Sunset Song August 24th.

Film No. 53 (2016) August 24th.  6.30 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge.

"You're my flesh and blood, and I shall do with you what I want" (Chris's father, Peter Mullan) expounds another of his cruel utterances on his sick bed.

Sunset Song is a slow burning sumptuous film. The issue for me is trying to understand it's message. Is it a historical drama to give insight into the trials and tribulations of a woman 100 years ago? Or is it quite simply an anti-war film? Maybe there's no message, just an historical drama set in the farmlands of Scotland telling one woman's story from adolescence to womanhood.


Director Terrence Davies is an accomplished film maker. Distant Voices, Still Lives and The House of Mirth are testament to his ability to bring human drama from a bygone age to the screen. In the vein of Gillian Anderson's, Lily Bart from The House of Mirth  we endure the plight of Chris Guthrie (Agyness Deyn) a young, free of spirit farm girl who gradually matures through her love of literature and the love of her family, despite the cruel deeds of her father.


Deyn has screen presence and is testament to the idea that models with talent can carve out a new career beyond the catwalk. In fact it's the performances of all the cast, particularly Peter Mullan as the oppressive father John Guthrie which gives the film a quality beyond the less than captivating narrative. Jack Greenness as Will, Chris's brother, brings heart to the plot convincingly but is whisked away, for legitimate reasons, never to be seen or heard of again. 


I mentioned the anti-war theme, which quite possibly gives Sunset Song its greatest voice, as Chris finds her life long love only to have him depart for the battlefields of France. It's here that we need to feel the excruciating pain of Chris's plight but Davies short-changes us. Apart from an effective flashback scene we've nothing to bite down on. Given this, the film has kept me thinking, but maybe I'm still seeking that elusive message. 7GUMS.