“Light from Light” feels like a festival indie in its quirky setup and modest production values. But it also boasts a rare, quiet honesty, and a lead performance from Marin Ireland that’ll haunt you for days.
Haunting is, in fact, the name of the game here, since Ireland’s Shelia is a bit of a ghost hunter. She’s ambivalent about it, as she seems to be about a lot of things. But her uncertainty is reasonable, given how overwhelmed she is as a single mom trying to raise a teenage son while working full-time at a soul-crushing car rental service.
Still, when she gets a call from the recently-widowed Richard (Jim Gaffigan), she’s intrigued. He heard her mention her clairvoyant gift on the radio and wants her help after his wife’s sudden death. After some hesitation she agrees to take the case, thanks to the urging of her son, Owen (Josh Wiggins, “Max”) and Owen’s crush, Lucy (Atheena Frizzell, “Never Goin’ Back”). The three of them set up their equipment in Richard’s Tennessee farmhouse, hoping to confirm whether his flickering lights and creaky floors represent a spectral presence.
And … that’s it, really. The offbeat structure almost feels like an excuse to get our attention, so that writer-director Paul Harrill (“Something, Anything”) can focus on those who travel through life like ghosts themselves. This isn’t a horror film, or a thriller, or even much of a romance. It’s just a small, nicely-observed study of very ordinary people, who take an unusual approach to their very ordinary experiences. This might be the first haunted house movie in which the ghost is pretty much a third wheel.
But don’t let the film’s quiet intimacy deter you; that’s the reason to see it. And Harrill’s subtle style is beautifully reflected in the performances. Ireland is the sort of talented regular who’s long been just a single role away from true stardom. She works constantly and always makes an impact, but it’s usually on stage (“reasons to be pretty”) or in someone else’s show (“Sneaky Pete”) or movie (“Glass Chin”). She proves here that she deserves more of her own projects, earning every close-up, long take, and extended monologue Harrill favors.
There are moments, here and there, when her character feels like a screenwriter construct. Would a struggling single parent really refuse payment for her hard work, for example, as Shelia so nobly does? That said, Ireland’s fully committed performance captures her heartbreaks, anxieties, and sheer exhaustion as well as her instinctual kindness.
It also helps that Ireland has solid support from the rest of the cast. Gaffigan turns off his comic side entirely, to tap into his character’s pain with an empathetic and moving restraint. He’s so still that he often seems to meld into the well-chosen rural setting, which aptly complements the characters’ emotional isolation.
One jarring note is the insistently precious score by Adam Granduciel and Jon Natchez, which feels like such an indie-film cliché it threatens to undermine Harrill’s intentions. And the script could have used another pass to flesh things out at least a little further. But what’s most special about these characters is that there’s nothing special about them — other than, of course, their thoughtfully rendered and relatable humanity.
It’s always a challenge for such an intimate project to thrive on its own in the big bad world. A movie this modest requires patience and generosity and a rejection of expectations.
15 Buzziest Sundance Movies: From Shia LaBeouf's 'Honey Boy' to 'Leaving Neverland' (Photos)
Park City, Utah, is about to be flush with cash -- and we're not talking about buying apres ski gear. Here are the most buzzed-about titles of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. (Note: some already have distributors).
"After the Wedding"
Filmmaker Bart Freundlich has enlisted esteemed actresses Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams to lead this adaptation of Danish director Susanne Bier's Oscar-winning film of the same name. After being invited to the wedding of Theresa’s (Moore) daughter, Isabel (Williams) discovers a connection to Theresa that takes her on an unexpected journey into her own past.
Sundance Institute
"Clemency"
Alfre Woodard stars as the warden of a maximum-security prison, who, after striking up a bond with an inmate, is confronted with the complex and often contradictory relationship between good intentions and unrequited desires.
Sundance Institute
"Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile"
Almost two years in the making, Joe Berlinger's take on the notorious serial killer Ted Bundy is finally hitting the big screen. Zac Efron stars as Bundy, and the film will be told from the perspective of Bundy’s longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth, who went years denying the accusations against him, but ultimately turned him into the police. Lily Collins plays Elizabeth. The film also stars Jim Parsons, Haley Joel Osment and Kaya Scodelario.
Sundance Institute
"Honey Boy"
Shia LaBeouf wrote the screenplay for this film, based on his childhood and his relationship with his father. Directed by Alma Har'el, "Honey Boy" also stars Lucas Hedges, FKA Twigs and Noah Jupe.
Sundance Institute
"Imaginary Order"
If you want to feel uncomfortable yet completely fascinated by a film, "Imaginary Order" is the one for you. It follows a suburban mom, played by Wendi McLendon-Covey, who makes mistake after mistake and her psyche crumbles in the aftermath.
Sundance Institute
"Knock Down the House"
Documentaries continue to be huge, and this one details the struggles and meteoric rise of young Puerto Rican bartender Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from the Bronx to toppling incumbents in an electric primary race for Congress.
Sundance Institute
"Leaving Neverland"
Described as gut-wrenching, this documentary uses interviews with the now-adult men and their families of those who have accused Michael Jackson of sexual abuse to craft a portrait of one of the world's most celebrated icons. HBO will release this doc in the spring.
Sundance Institute
"Native Son"
Renowned African-American history and culture visual artist Rashid Johnson and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks craft a contemporary reworking of Richard Wright’s 1940 novel, bringing its interrogation of fear, violence, race and circumstance into a critical modern context. A24 is the distributor.
Sundance Institute
"The Great Hack"
In 2018, Facebook came under fire many times for its use and misuse of users' personal data. That was never more apparent than the explosive Cambridge Analytica/Facebook data breach that this doc explores. Netflix will distribute this documentary.
Sundance Institute
"The Report"
Hot off his awards run for "BlacKkKlansman," Adam Driver is back in "The Report" alongside Jon Hamm, Jennifer Morrison and Maura Tierney. The film, directed by Scott Z. Burns, follows CIA agents and their interrogation tactics in the quest to find those behind the 9/11 attacks.
Sundance Institute
"Untouchable"
Harvey Weinstein, both in his rise and in his monstrous fall, changed Hollywood forever. "Untouchable" explores how he acquired and deployed his formidable power over the course of decades.
Sundance Institute
"Velvet Buzzsaw"
"Nightcrawler" director Dan Gilroy reunited with Jake Gyllenhaal for the high-art thriller "Velvet Buzzsaw," which also stars Rene Russo, Toni Collette and Natalia Dyer. Netflix will distribute this movie.
Netflix
"The Farewell"
Awkwafina, one of the breakout stars of 2018, stars in this film about a family that opts not to tell their beloved matriarch about her lung cancer diagnosis, instead scheduling an impromptu wedding-reunion back in China. The film is based on director Lulu Wang's true story she told on NPR's popular podcast, "This American Life."
Sundance Institute
"Luce"
This psychological drama stars Kelvin Harrison Jr., Octavia Spencer and Naomi Watts. It follows a couple that is forced to reevaluate the image of their adopted son after his high school teacher finds something alarming in his locker.
Sundance Institute
"Brittany Runs a Marathon"
Jillian Bell leads the cast of this comedy that follows a young New Yorker who discovers she has elevated blood pressure and a high heart rate. Soon, she starts running, and increases her distance by a mile a day. Buyers have expressed interest in this inspirational yet entertaining tale.
Sundance Institute
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Sundance 2019: Film fanatics will brave the cold to see these hot films in Park City, Utah
Park City, Utah, is about to be flush with cash -- and we're not talking about buying apres ski gear. Here are the most buzzed-about titles of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. (Note: some already have distributors).