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| Images Courtesy of Gravitas Ventures |
There have
been many films, television series, and novels that have explored the trauma
that survivors of cults endure in the aftermath, should they be fortunate
enough to survive. So Fades the Light not only delves into this
concept, its narrative also does something seldom done: confrontation.
Many times, the story ends when the cult implodes, either by law enforcement
intervention or via the leader's megalomaniacal destruction. Here, in Rob
Cousineau and Chris Rosik's esoteric American byway cosmos, confrontation
is the only means of escape.
Sun was known
as the "God Child" worshipped by a cult of extremely violent
religious fanatics who were eventually wiped out by the police.
Fifteen years later, Sun decides to return to the compound, unaware that
a dangerous figure from her past is waiting for her. Cousineau's script
is lean, moving from a tense introduction to Sun's current predicament.
As she wanders the back roads, she encounters drifter allies and living ghosts,
conjured from the trauma she endured as a child. This is one of the strongest
aspects of the film. This is a haunted America, with secrets and rituals
that both mend and harm. Songs form friendships and heal wounds of the
past while praise, worship, and dangerous faiths are the creed of
madmen.
Kiley Lotz
gives a bravura performance as Sun, blending vulnerability, paranoia, and a
longing need of acceptance into a formidable presence in virtually every
scene. Her chemistry with D. Duke Solomon's "The Reverend" is
palpable, despite the limited screen time. While the initial sequence
will immediately conjure memories of Red State and Waco, it is Carnivale'
that overshadows the entire story. While confronting demons of the past
is the surface veneer, underneath lies something darker, something that speaks
to the soul of modern-day America, divided, tortured, and righteous, and it is
the final confrontation that drives this home. Sun and the Reverend are
two sides of a conflict, the self-ordained prophet and the woman who was
"chosen" without any say in the matter. This leads to questions
of faith and ultimately to slaying the monsters that lay in our memories and
the final result is a gripping experience.
John Anderson
Beaver's cinematography captures this hidden United States with poise, using
natural firelight to highlight a musical sanctuary with warm tones while
filming the compound like a haunted house, a doomed place with poisoned
memories. Music is the final ingredient, with a plethora of genres
infused in various scenes that eventually give way to Sun's final journey
towards freedom.
Now available for digital rental, So Fades the Light is a marvel of independent filmmaking. The Get Super Rad film collective shines with this effort, showcasing not only a firm command of the medium, but also an intense understanding of the human experience and this project is emblematic of their commitment to producing unique and enthralling pictures.
--Kyle
Jonathan