REVIEW #1: 40/100

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Till Sunrise see Shawn Mendes play Ford, a young adult who’s had a difficult childhood and now lives with Catherine, a woman struggling with her own problems. Their relationship is strained and Ford dreams of escaping to a new life.

 

It’s a lot to take on, creating an entire feature film from scratch so I feel as though I must start by saying that even attempting such a thing is commendable. I mean even reading through a film is a lot to get through, let alone actually writing it.

 

The film feels familiar from the beginning - the subject matter of ‘young person with hard childhood fighting for a better life while those around him let him down’ is hardly fresh or unexplored territory but perhaps there’s room in there somewhere to tell a unique story. Till Sunrise, unfortunately, doesn’t feel like it ventures far enough away from those familiar tropes and stories to really reach its full potential.

 

One trait of the film that holds it back is its reluctance to give its characters the necessary screen time to develop. Dialogue is all-too-often skipped over, which while it serves to save some time, it also comes at the detriment of the audience who move through scenes with little context. What at times feel like major plot moments are left out, meaning characters and their issues/ambitions/feelings aren’t fully fleshed out. Something else that certainly doesn’t help this is the films constant use of montages and time jumps to move through the story. While sometimes it’s necessary for the progression of the film, it’s relied upon so heavily that it sometimes comes across as a bit lazy and worse yet, it feels as though the film skips over more opportunities for moments of character development. Again, with a story that doesn’t feel overly revolutionary, there was potential to explore some of these characters more as a way of adding depth to the plot but instead what we’re left with feels quite shallow and predictable.

 

As for the characters, we have a talented line up to stars gracing the screen however the films reluctance to give us more time with them leaves us with not a lot to invest in. Mendes’ character Ford comes across as unlikeable for a lot of the film with not a lot of empathy towards those around him and when the entire film is carried by Ford (who appears in every scene), it’s a struggle to want to root for his character. His love interest Nick’s only character trait seems to be that he is interested in Ford. He appears out of nowhere on a stuck elevator with the main character and from there, I guess we just have to accept that him and Ford have fallen madly in love with each other because most of this either happens off screen or in between lines of lost dialogue. Other characters such as Ford’s friends also suffer a similar fate as mostly-one note side characters who only really exist to coddle Ford and pick him up when he inevitably crashes and burns.

 

But perhaps the worst-done-by character in Till Sunrise is Catherine. Her character may sound a little complicated – a struggling addict who took on the role of caring for Ford when perhaps she wasn’t ready for the responsibility of a child in her life who's far from perfect and doesn't know how to care for herself, let alone Ford. Her and Ford’s conflict drives the first half of the movie until he eventually decides to pack up and leave one night. Soon after, Catherine overdoses and ends up in hospital on life support. What happens next you ask? Ford is left to make the call on whether to pull her life support after possibly the worst medial professional of all time advices him to do so. Oh, and he does. But not before he unleashes years of pent-up anger and frustration on an unconscious Catherine. 

 

This was my biggest issue with Till Sunrise – with this particular scene standing out as the worst offender. The way Catherine’s character is written in this film is the one of the biggest missed opportunities. Her addiction is handled with about as much empathy and care as a reversing dump truck without any tires and instead she’s whittled down to being an incapacitated punching bag for Mendes’ characters big blow out. Her treatment is similar to that of many if not all of the female characters in this film, all of whom are portrayed at some point as the “bad guy” while Ford, Nick and his friends are painted in a much more positive light throughout the film (and I know one of his friends is a female, but unfortunately, she’s given crumbs in terms of lines). All the blame for Ford’s life being so terrible falls on three people – Catherine, Lillian (his birth mother) and Kristen (his social worker) (btw where’s Ford’s father in all of this?) and we’re constantly reminded of this throughout the film. The fact that in perhaps the biggest emotional climax of the film, Catherine is rendered completely silent while Ford gets to unload all of his feelings and blame on to her is again, a let down. Oh yeah, and then she dies. Her story is rendered completely insignificant compared to Ford’s, so much so that he gets to end her life so she’s out of the way and we can carry on watching his life unravel before our eyes. There was a real opportunity to see more of Catherine’s back story and maybe get a better understanding of why she is in the place she’s in, but I think too much of the focus was on making us feel for Ford.

 

The rest of the film moves along steadily (if not a little too conveniently) with some plot progressing moments that seems to come and go a bit too quickly (give us some time with these characters please!) – apart from the random sex scene that adds little to the plot but gets a decent amount of describing. Ford’s experiences with hallucinations and visions offers something interesting, but this is quickly derailed by a jarring (almost) suicide attempt that is quickly glossed over in order to get on to mending Ford’s relationships with the other characters in time for the film’s end. And the story wraps up neatly, arguably too neatly for a film with such complicated subject matter, but we’re left to enjoy a happy (if not a little cheesy - I mean come on, the last line of the film is ".... till sunrise.") ending with Ford and Nick and rest of the Ford fans.

 

Overall, there was potential in Till Sunrise. At its best it’s a passable attempt at an underdog, coming of age, but when it struggles, Till Sunrise becomes a confusing, at times frustrating, story of trauma that really services one person – Shawn Mendes. It seems as though the project was a bit too big and too nuanced for the singer to take on, at least in this stage of his career but there’s room to grow.

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REVIEW #2: 40/100

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I think opening the film the way you did was a really bold choice and I think it was well used in order to set the stage for the story to come. I do have to say though, I think the scenes of Ford wallking through his neighbourhood, the flashback, as well as the eviction notice thing felt a bit cliche and almost expected? It seemed like a bit of a face value look of poverty. Like it was very reminiscent of those early 2000s films about the projects and beating obstacles and whatnot,  if you know what I'm talking about. Overall I think that's something that is pervasive throughout the film. I think a lot of the story beats feel familiar throughout the entire film, but I see efforts to try and diversify and make the plot points unique. I would have to say my biggest issue with the entire movie overall is that there is little to no written out dialogue throughout around 80% of it. By this I mean, if there is a scene where two characters are talking, instead of being told what's being said, I read "The two characters then discuss this situation and how it affected them, as well as their feelings. Then they bonded over this and x y and z." I think it really does the film a disservice because I found it really hard to be able to connect with these characters because I had no clue what they were saying or thinking, and was instead being told "This is what they are talking about," rather than shown what they were saying. 

 

This is really to the film’s detriment especially in major story beats. For example, the first time we see Ford’s friends on the roof, they’re all talking about their dreams, but what are they saying? What does Ford say in reaction to them? All that is told to us is that they talk about their dreams and he’s embarrassed because he doesn’t say much, and sits in silence for the rest of their conversation. Then after the scene, he stands on the edge of the rooftop and contemplates jumping. This isn’t really earned because, we didn’t really get to see what was said or understand the magnitude of how the conversation made Ford feel, you know? Like, we were told the conversation made him upset, but we weren’t allowed to feel that or deduce that for ourselves because we weren’t shown it, and were simply expected to take the story beat at face value without allowing the audience (or in this case, the reader,) to do any sort of connecting with the film themselves. We are told what to feel instead of being shown the words, the emotion, etc., and letting us feel it for ourselves. 

 

This also really dampens almost all of the film’s major plot points. There are several examples of this, the first one that really struck me being the moment when Nick and Ford meet. The first conversation that they have, with an important character, and we don’t get to even read what they’re saying? No seeds planted for future interactions? It says that Nick breaks the ice with a joke, but we don’t get to read the joke or infer that NIck is easy going and friendly, because we’re simply told that he makes a joke to break the tension. We’re told that’s how he is - rather than being shown that through dialogue and meaningful interaction. They then talk about themselves and you say it’s not a particularly deep conversation, just them getting to know each other. But I feel like an introduction to Nick’s character and who he is is vital to the story, and vital to his believability as a character, you know? We’re also not shown how Ford interacts with a stranger, we’re simply told he speaks vaguely of his life, rather than seeing how exactly he words it, how he weaves a narrative that isn’t true in order to save face, etc. We are told but not shown that there is awkwardness. Nothing about dialogue (or lack thereof), direction, or their actions say anything about their relationship other than “they’re stuck in elevator, then they talk about themselves, then it is awkward, then they make plans.”

 

Another one of the moments where I feel it really harms the film is almost all of Kristen’s interactions with Ford. From the very beginning, Kristen is vehemently opposed to Ford meeting his biological mother. But we’re not really properly explained why. In their confrontation in her office, it says that Kristen lists reasons why she’s opposed while Ford paces angrily. But we’re not told those reasons, we’re simply told that there are reasons, and we’re forced to assume they’re not good enough for Ford as he reacts in anger. The problem is, it’s difficult as the audience to believe this, because we haven’t been told the reasons why it’s not a good idea in concrete terms, other than a vague mention of “Sometimes it’s better to leave it alone,” and her living in a poor Brooklyn neighborhood. We are not led to believe it’s not a good idea other than you telling us it’s not a good idea. This also makes Ford’s outburst not earned, because if we don’t hear the reasons, we have no indication or sign to believe that they’re so incredulous that it would warrant that kind of reaction. 

 

There’s also a bit of a plot hole here that, while minor, takes you out of the believability of the film. During their first meeting we see, Kristen tells Ford his mother’s name. Then, after their confrontation in the office, Ford tells his friends that he has no information about her, but that simply isn’t true - he has her name, which, in today’s day and age, combined with the neighborhood she lives in, is a lot of information necessary to find someone. And then, he gets his file and we’re told he reads her name for the first time? It’s a continuity error that, yes, is small, but harms the immersion of the film a fair amount.

 

After his office confrontation, he explains to his friends the inner turmoil he has about the situation. But again, we’re not shown what that inner turmoil is. We’re simply told it’s there and expected to believe it’s a vital part of the story and a driving force for his actions going further. From this point, I won’t go over every major moment that I feel could have used dialogue, because at the end of the day I think the entire film should have been completely written out with full dialogue. But I’ll go over the moments I think it really dampened the film’s emotional impact most. 

 

In Catherine and Ford’s big fight, we’re told they're letting out everything they haven't said for years. They are having a pivotal, defining moment for their dynamic. This is the final time that they have a conversation in the entire film before she dies - and we don’t get to read it. Catherine is astounded, but that is it? We don’t get a description of her reaction past that. It’s surface level, we don’t get any nuances of her physicality, even something as simple as her face falling, her shoulders relaxing after the tense fight, her eyes tearing, her turning away, etc. 

 

Again, another pivotal moment in Ford and Nick’s relationship - Ford is sharing information about his family, and we get no dialogue. We don’t get to see why this scene is so important other than you being told that the scene is important. Ford reacts in shock? What does this mean? What does he do to indicate shock? Does he recoil? If he does, why doesn’t Nick react? Does he make a face? There is nothing for us to draw our own conclusions or have any sort of critical thought other than the face value things we’re being told.

 

When Ford tells his biological mom the truth about his living situation after Catherine dies, we don’t get to read it. Also, this is another case of a plot hole, or at least a moment that I thought needed more background. Ford expresses anger toward Lilian for not trying and says that her file said stuff about being cold and distant and not following up with the state. But this is in direct contrast to what we were told earlier when he reads her file, which explicitly states, “She clearly loved the child but was simply unable to care for him”. While both things can be true at once, we are only told the latter, so when Ford confronts Lilian about being distant and cold, it comes out of nowhere.

 

Kristen and Ford’s big confrontation where she lets him have it is probably one of the best scenes in the film conceptually, but I think it just really falls flat because we’re not shown what’s being said. What should’ve been a standout scene in the film is reduced to a summary of the character’s words and actions, and holds no emotional punch. Again, when Ford and Nick break up, we aren’t shown what they say. Another scene that could’ve been a gut punch is reduced to something that is simply a summary of words and actions. 

 

Character wise, the film falls really flat for me as well. I think Ford is ridiculously unlikeable, which, if that’s what you were going for then you succeeded, but I think his redemption arc at the end isn’t really earned or properly shown to us. We’re simply kind of told he’s changed rather than shown any major developments. He attempts suicide and then talks to Lilian and finds solace in her words, but we don’t get to dig deeper than that. We’re told he has a life changing few days when he talks to Kristen, but we just don’t really get to see that for ourselves. He also starts hallucinating, which unless I missed it, wasn’t really mentioned earlier. It just seems like a plot device to further display his downfall, but just comes off as a misguided portrayal of psychosis and mental illness, especially when we’re told in fairly explicit terms that he’s on anti-depressants, but not anti-psychotics. 

 

Catherine’s redemption doesn’t come until she’s dying and by virtue of another character’s thoughts rather than any sort of redemption on her own. She is not her own character, rather an extension of Ford’s trauma. Devoid of any life of her own, simply existing for Ford’s progression as a character. I think there was potential for Catherine’s character, especially with that first scene, as a nuanced depiction of addiction, abuse, etc. But she’s just consistently vilified without much substance. Her redemption doesn’t feel particularly earned because we haven’t been shown any redeemable qualities. 

 

Ford’s friends are, as characters, quite devoid of life as well. We don’t really get to learn anything about them other than what is convenient to the story, which is fine, but for characters that show up so often and play such pivotal parts in Ford’s life (Helping him find his mom, taking him in when he runs away, celebrating his birthday with him, helping him move out at the end, etc,) we aren’t shown anything about their friendship, their characters, etc. 

 

Nick as well felt like a quite underdeveloped love interest. We aren’t shown much of him other than he’s caring and giving, almost to a fault, but we aren’t really shown why Ford falls in love with him, who he is as his own person rather than as an accessory and device for Ford to better himself, etc. The sex scene also felt rather misguided. It didn’t add anything because their characters haven’t been building to that. Wasn’t a “first time” or anything special, it felt like a scandalized grab at nudity rather than anything meaningful to the story. If it was supposed to symbolize Ford opening up, there was no hesitation on his part or any sort of dialogue or direction to indicate that. Just a sex scene. But, I will say, Nick perhaps had my favorite scene in the entire film. The scene after they make up, and Nick expresses his own frustrations with Ford’s actions, but his ultimate understanding of why he acted that way and where he comes from, is honestly really amazing. It’s well written and I think it understands the situation that Ford is in better than the rest of this movie does almost all of the time. It paints an honest, nuanced portrayal of mental illness, what loving someone with mental illness means, and the sacrifices it takes, while also addressing the very valid feelings of the person on the other side. I just wish that the build up to the scene had been more directly shown, and it would’ve been much more impactful.

 

Overall, I will say I was unfortunately really disappointed with the film. I do see some potential, but it fell far from my expectations. I think what hindered the film the most was 3 main things. One, the lack of dialogue. I think the dialogue you did write was great, and it showed that you could’ve really written a much better film, a much more nuanced film, and a film with much more emotional impact had it all been fully written out instead of summarized. Two, the lack of character development for almost everyone except Ford. I think there was some efforts, but they were shafted by the lack of dialogue. Most characters felt like game pieces for Ford’s progression as a person rather than as their own people with stories. And three, the cliche storytelling. I think every single one of the story beats felt way too familiar and overdone, and while I think fleetingly you succeeded in creating something unique with them, overall it did feel like a movie I had seen before. The film doesn’t live up to it’s own expectations, and expectations aside, it doesn’t really hold up on its own either. I see promise, but it just needs to be more focused and fleshed out and I think you can have something good on your hands. 

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