The Sunlit Night (2019)

Directed by: David Wnendt | 79 minutes | drama, romance | Actors: Jenny Slate, Alex Sharp, Fridtjov Såheim, Gillian Anderson, Zach Galifianakis, David Paymer, Jessica Hecht, Elise Kibler, Justus von Dohnányi, Olek Krupa, Dan Puck, Ginna Le Vine, Malachy Cleary, Anne Carney, Chris Carfizzi, David Corenswet, Stephanie Mareen

‘The Sunlit Night’ can be described as a sweet, sympathetic film. Perhaps a bit too ‘weird’ for some, but hey, to each his own.

It’s not going well for the American artist Frances (Jenny Slate, “Parks & Recreation” and ‘Venom’). Her art doesn’t get much critical acclaim, her parents are on the verge of divorce, her sister is getting married to a less-than-loved partner, and she’s just had a break-up with her boyfriend. She decides to leave everything behind for a while and leaves for Norway to assist the artist Nils Auerman (Fridtjov Saheim) with painting a barn yellow, an art project with which he tries to get himself back on the Norwegian art map. In the beautiful Lofoten environment, Frances also tries to find her ‘voice’ again. In the neighboring Viking Museum, she meets the Russian Yasha (Alex Sharp, ‘The Hustle’), who is there for a short time to honor his father’s last wish, a real Viking funeral.

This idiosyncratic film by director David Wnendt (‘Er ist wieder da’) is about art, artistic growth and self-development. But also about chance encounters in an enchantingly beautiful environment. Zach Galifianakis as local Viking king/museum guide? Why not? It doesn’t seem to affect the film at all. Gillian Anderson (‘X-Files’, ‘Sex Education’), as Yasha’s bright red-haired mother, also makes her appearance. A strange mix of characters and yet they know how to keep it together.

Stand-up comedienne Slate likes the lead role very well, her character – a fish out of a bowl – comes across as natural. In the Norwegian highlands, she even manages to unwrap the rough, unspoken Nils.

‘The Sunlit Night’ is a quietly babbling film, shot in a part of the world where the sun hardly ever sets, about people whose sun begins to shine again after a lesser period. Not a high-flyer, but an easy-to-digest viewing experience. Downside: maybe a bit on the (too) short side for the beauty with its barely 80 minutes.