Being bogged down in the same routine for an extended period of time might be the ultimate test of maintaining sanity. Surprise, surprise: that very thing has been part of the status quo facing the world for the past several months. But now, things are starting to open up a bit and a little change of scenery is a welcoming proposition. There’s probably a complicated scientific method of describing it, but new surroundings finding a way to stimulate the soul like never before just looks and sounds better. “The Sunlit Night” transplants star Jenny Slate (“The Secret Life of Pets” & “Obvious Child”) from an urban setting to its polar—literally—opposite.
Slate—herself a producer on the film—portrays the struggling artist traveling north in search of inspiration and a whole lot more. She is joined by Tony winner Alex Sharp (“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”) and the laugh-out-loud and mutedly hilarious Zach Galifianakis (“The Hangover” & “Birdman”). Additional members of the cast include Gillian Anderson (“The X-Files”) and David Paymer (“Get Shorty” & “Mr. Saturday Night”).
Here’s the synopsis:
The Sunlit Night follows an aspiring painter (Slate) from New York City to the farthest reaches of Arctic Norway for an assignment she hopes will invigorate her work and expand her horizons. In a remote village, among the locals, she meets a fellow New Yorker (Sharp), who has come in search of a proper Viking funeral only to find that the Chief (Galifianakis) is but a re-enactor from Cincinnati. The eclectic crew ranges from “home” to “lost,” within the extreme and dazzling landscape of the Far North. Under a sun that never quite sets, and the high standards of an unforgiving mentor, Frances must navigate between ambition, desire, obligation, and risk in order to find a way forward.
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The project is the English language debut of German director David Wnendt and is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Rebecca Dinerstein. Wnendt is—perhaps—best known for the 2015 satire “Look Who’s Back” and helmed 2013’s “Wetlands,” nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance the following year.
“The Sunlit Night”—distributed by Quiver—will be released on VOD on July 17. Take in both the trailer below and one woman’s transformation to come.