Shadows on the Wall | The Hanging Sun

The Hanging Sun

dir Francesco Carrozzini
scr Stefano Bises
prd Petter J Borgli, Matteo Rovere, Riccardo Tozzi
with Jessica Brown Findlay, Alessandro Borghi, Raphael Vicas, Charles Dance, Peter Mullan, Sam Spruell, Frederick Schmidt, Salome Gunnarsdottir, Anton Valensi, Tommy C Carey, Lorenzo McGovern Zaini, Luca Hayward
release WP Sep.22 vff
22/UK Sky 1h33

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Based on a Jo Nesbo novel, this British-Italian drama has thriller undertones. A solid cast adds intriguing textures, while director Francesco Carrozzini maintains gently gnawing tension and earthy connections between people in a community that seems to sit on the edge of the world. So it's a bit frustrating that Stefano Bises' script never digs deeply, and it abandons at least one major plot thread along the way.

Hitman John (Borghi) refuses to do one last job for his dad (Mullen), clashes with his brother Michael (Schmidt) and leaves town, travelling to a northern British island where the sun never sets. Dominated by preacher Jacob (Dance), the tight-knit village doesn't like strangers. But John strikes up a friendship with Jacob's young-teen grandson Caleb (Vicas) and his mother Lea (Brown Findlay), whose violent husband (Spruell) is missing at sea, leaving her vulnerable to his twin brother (also Spruell). Then Michael turns up, so John hatches a plan to run off with Lea and Caleb.

Shooting in Norway, cinematographer Nicolai Bruel maintains a superb midnight-sun sensibility with glowing skies and steely seas. These visuals, and the engaging cast, make up for blunt dialog and action-movie elements that never pay off. Characters have intriguing quirks that add interest, and the often nasty connections that hold families together are cleverly strained to the breaking point. Tyrannical fathers dominate this tale set in a community where women aren't allowed to make decisions.

Brown Findlay is terrific as a young mother who has silently endured a nightmare existence. Her decision to wrestle control of her future is powerful, especially because Brown Findlay continually reveals Lea's doubts. Borghi has a warmly understated magnetism, holding the screen with his sharp blue eyes and remarkable kindness for a killer. This is what the curious, chatty Caleb notices, and Vicas also wins us over in a difficult role. Meanwhile, veterans Dance and Mullen add a superbly rough-edged menace.

There are moments along the way when we expect the movie to shift into full-on violent nastiness, and indeed there are a couple of grisly scenes along the way. But Carrozzini keeps much of this off-screen to hone in on Lea and John as broken people grappling with guilt. The filmmaking may be a bit hushed and hesitant, with a few too many flashbacks and not enough resolution. But it's a superb depiction of how even the most distant places aren't very far away in an ever-shrinking world.

themes, language, violence 10.Sep.22 vff

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