As much as I love vampire stories, cinematically, they rarely rise to the top of the heap for me when it comes to horror subgenres. Rather, their rich mythologies and deeply-developed characters thrive better in the television landscape. Director Andrew Baird (Zone 414, One Way) tries dipping his toes in the vampire lore, to honestly better results than anticipated. The gripping horror/thriller sets sights on a sacred forest demon called “The Red Coat,” said to grant eternal life through sacrifice. While the introduction seems to indicate a variety of possibilities, Sunrise actually opts for more of a traditional revenge thriller, dipped in vampy horror flavoring.
Three months after his father disappeared, soft-spoken Edward (William Gao, Heartstopper), little sister Emily (Riley Chung), and their mother, Yan (Crystal Yu, Doctor Who), are practically outcasts in their town. This immigrant family is the focal point of the story, as the awful tyrant Reynolds (Guy Pearce, Memento, Prometheus) will stop at nothing to steal their land for his own personal gain. Edward and Yan discover a near-death stranger named Fallon (Alex Pettyfer, Magic Mike, I Am Number Four) on their property, and bring him inside.
Throughout the film, Reynolds, the police, and even school bully Petrie (Forrest Bothwell, Mothering Sunday) relentlessly taunt both mother and son. The film makes no reservations about the type of people they are, especially obvious racist Reynolds. Maybe that is why, well before Ronan Blaney’s script cracks open the door on Fallon’s origins, we desperately hope the worst will come of them. Typically the vampire of the story will be straightforwardly evil, but here, the lines are blurred thanks to Fallon and his friendliness. Early on, he becomes close with little Emily, and develops a surprising bond.
Not everything in the film works. A semi-romance attempting to blossom between Tom and a schoolgirl constantly gets stifled before it goes anywhere. The awful matriarch Ma Reynolds (Olwen Fouere, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Mandy) lacks the onscreen grit and terror of her son. Yet, Sunrise carries a polished feel and some genuinely satisfying movie moments. Pettyfer and Gao are both great, yet it is Pearce who surprises the most in his committed portrayal of despicable creep Reynolds.
Genre fans may not instantly cling to Sunrise. Some gore fleetingly shows face, but flashy deaths and non-stop action are not in this flick’s wheelhouse. Instead, Sunrise gets lifted up by excellent character work, an outsider approach, visually-lush flashes of the macabre, and a complete narrative experience. To date, Sunrise is definitely Andrew Baird’s best movie yet, surpassing even Zone 414.
Try to dodge the Sunrise, in theaters and on demand on Friday, January 19th.
