Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Daughter of the Sun (2023) Fantasia 2023


A Hildie and her fatherm Sonny, are forever on the run. Adding a classmate of Hildie's, the family they end up making the acquaintance of some new friends. For the first time they think that perhaps they have found a home. However, neither Hildie nor her father are aware that they are actually after her father's hidden power.

This second film in writer, director and star Ryan Ward's trilogy that began with SON OF THE SUNSHINE in 2009, is at times one of the best films you'll see this year. The film has frequent sequences that are some of the most lyrically beautiful sequences I've seen all year (maybe ever). There is a wisdom and magic in the tale that will absolutely move your soul. 

The trouble is the film has some problems that keep it from being the best of the best. The first is the construction of the narrative. As good as the sequences and characters are, the problem is that the narrative thread is one we've seen before any number of times. Granted most times this sort of story has the child being the person being hunted, but outside of flipping the daughter for the father there is nothing narratively new here. The other problem is the pacing. While the 117 minute run time allows for the creation of lyric sequences and the shading of characters, the pace of things is such that we have too much time to realize that we were here before.

My quibbles aside I really do like the film. I'm bitching about the film because so much of this film is so amazingly good, nay great, that I want the whole film to match the wonderfulness of the individual sequences.

Should you see this? Oh hell yea. If you love movies you need to see this, since so much of this will make you feel good.

And don't worry about not seeing the first film. I had no idea it was a second in a series until after I saw the film.

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