Now playing for a limited run at Arena Cinema, “Sun Choke” is nothing like I expected, and I mean that in a good way. Director Ben Cresciman taps into the psyche of a mentally unstable woman whose obsession over another girl turns deadly in the City of Angels. Taking a commanding lead as the naive yet delusional title character Janie, is Sarah Hagan– those who know her best as Millie from ‘Freaks and Geeks’ are definitely in for a wild rediscovery.
Janie (Hagan) sits expressionless at a table across from her stepmother/ psychological caretaker Irma (Barbara Crampton). Her long dark hair hangs from her frail frame, in complete contrast to Irma’s rigid blonde bob and the pristine white decor of the large house they live in. Ever since her psychotic break that put her under the care of Irma, Janie has been a prisoner in her own home, forced to practice a strictly holistic lifestyle including a diet of green drinks, outdoor yoga, and coloring sessions, among other bizarre health regimens. Without disclosing the cause of her previous mental episode, we see that Janie is still clearly unwell.
An obsession with a local girl, Savannah (Sara Malakul Lane) becomes the object of Janie’s affection. In this case, it is not a passion of love, rather a passion of control. The closer she gets to Savannah, literally by stalking and breaking into her house, the closer she gets to mentally unraveling once again.
Hagan’s portrayal of Janie is a perfect character study of scene control; a lot of her battles are fought internally (mentally) but expressed very methodically. She moves in calculated ways that show off her true talent as an actor who not only plays the character but becomes
For all of its dreamy visuals and seemingly innocent art house persona, “Sun Choke” is a brutally psychological head trip that pushes viewers to the brink of their comfort zone. We not only witness Janie be subjected to various health rituals at the hands of her resentful stepmother, we are along for the ride as well. Most notably, the tuning fork used as aversion therapy and disguised as a torture device, whose sound design is meant to reach a decibel just short of unbearable, and definitely does its job. Just when we can’t take it anymore, we cut to the next scene. It goes without saying that this wouldn’t be a horror film without violence and nudity, which there is quite a lot of, yet ultimately, all things add up to the creation of one evocative, trippy film that is sure to run chills down your spine. You’ve been warned.
“Sun Choke” is not rated. 83 minutes. Now playing at Arena Cinema.
