Slamdance Film Festival

Director: Frank Rinaldi

Frank Rinaldi’s debut feature film, shot entirely in Singapore, follows a woman in her twenties named Shannon (played by Shannon Fitzpatrick) as she deals with the early onset of dementia. Shannon’s caregiver, Susan (Susan Chau), behaves peculiarly throughout the film, causing Shannon and the audience to question her motives. Sundowning contains also no dialogue, but shows repeated imagery and features distorted sounds to illustrate the monotony, confusion and frustration often associated with the disease.

The fact that Shannon is younger only adds to the mystery of the film, and perhaps makes it easier to associate with the main character. While there is a twist at the end that I don’t personally see a need for, it works within the context of the film. Sundowning may be a little unsettling and difficult to sit through, but that only made it more fascinating and noteworthy for me.

Screenings:

Date: 1/22/12 Time: 8:00 PM Venue: Treasure Mountain Inn, Main Screening Room

Date: 1/25/12 Time: 8:00 PM Venue: Treasure Mountain Inn, Main Screening Room

See more Slamdance 2012 coverage.