‘Sun Choke’ Grabs the Brass Ring of Psychological Thrillers

Patrick Regan

The psychological thriller is one of the brass rings of filmmaking. Film students, reflections of Hitchcock in their eyes, look for ways to mirror a characters’ broken mental state, to tell stories where the tension comes not from a gunman but from the hero’s grip on reality, stories where the worst enemy is within the self.

This is also one of the hardest tightropes a filmmaker can walk. The bar has been set very high and the margin for error is razor thin. Far too many “psychological thrillers” fall into cliché, with twists the audience can see coming a mile away. We may have to put a moratorium on split personalities for a few decades.

That’s why it’s such a pleasure to sit down with Ben Cresciman’s “Sun Choke,” a psychological thriller that borders on horror. Janie (Sarah Hagan) just wants to get well.  A psychotic break in her past has led her father to put her in the care of family friend Irma (Barbara Crampton), whose treatment methods are regimented and occasionally unorthodox. When Irma awards Janie freedom to leave the house, her stability is increasingly threatened.  But is it threatened by what she finds in the outside world or what was in the house with her the entire time?

“Sun Choke” is a peak into a very disturbed mind, and is filmed and edited in such a way that the audience truly feels what life is like for Janie. A lot of this is achieved by film’s cinematography and editing, which simulates the feeling of unease and  lack of control, without ever falling into the trap of simply being confusing.

Cresciman and editor Jason Jones’ pacing walk the line expertly: as Janie’s mental state begins to unravel, the editing grows more chaotic, almost  unhinged, while never losing a sense of coherency.

Of course, the twin cores of the film are Janie’s mental state and her relationship with caretaker Irma; and the lead actresses performances really shine.  “Sun Choke” runs a brisk 83 minutes – probably for the best given its intensity – and this leave little time to waste. Hagan and Crampton are able to convey so much about the characters and their relationship in the smallest gestures that you never feel left behind.

The film is not without its weaknesses – if you’re looking for a complete narrative, this might not be for you. There is satisfaction to be had, but this is not a world where all questions are, or even can be, answered. There’s simply too much chaos for that to be possible. If you’re on the hunt for something to disturb, to frighten, to make you question reality, “Sun Choke” might be just the thing.

“Sun Choke” opens Aug. 5.