Sunlight stars co-writer/director Nina Conti as Jane, a woman in a monkey costume. She breaks into and begins driving a man’s recreational vehicle. Said man is Roy (co-writer Shenoah Allen), who is obviously quite startled to find a furried costumer at the wheel when he wakes up from his nap. Things go from bad to worse when Jane learns that Roy cannot simply drive her to the lake because she’s a “business monkey.” He’s on his way to his mother’s house to intercept his suicide note, as the attempt failed. But after that stop, the two start driving toward the water and get to know each other. Roy and Jane are both guarded for their own reasons but have finally found someone who seems to truly get them in the other.
The film explores suicide, grief, childhood trauma, and mental health for its entire 96-minute runtime. But Conti and Allen inject those dark elements with a brash but relatable dose of humor. Aside from a few serious scenes, mainly involving Monkey discussing the lady under the suit, Jane, hardly a minute goes by without a laugh, big or small, happening. The sheer absurdity of the Monkey saying that she doesn’t know what “old, wrinkly monkey a*s goes for” is only matched by its utter hilarity. Roy also gets several moments to be hilarious, such as attempting to teach Jane in the costume yoga and the sleeping boner scene.
“…a woman in a monkey costume…breaks into and begins driving a man’s recreational vehicle.”
Happily, Sunlight knows that the best jokes in the world don’t matter unless the actors are up to snuff. Considering that the leads also wrote the screenplay, it would be shocking if Conti and Allen didn’t deliver. But they do so in the best way possible. Allen has an affable, average Joe charisma. Conti is able to transition from a bullish to a sweet demeanor in less than a second; it is even more impressive that she makes each emotion and wild act completely believable. The two main players share such strong chemistry that is palpable from their first interaction to the finale. The supporting actors are also all fantastic and silly in endearingly over-the-top ways.
Sunlight is delightful, dramatic, and deep all at once. The pacing is excellent, and the screenplay is clever. Conti and Allen bring a great deal of sweetness and vulnerability to their respective roles. The ending is about as perfect as conclusions get. Please watch this as soon as possible, you won’t be disappointed.
"…delightful, dramatic, and deep..."
