Swiss documentary filmmaker Jacqueline Zünd lands in Locarno’s Filmmakers of the Present competition with her fiction directorial debut, Don't Let the Sun, which has also been nominated for the Pardo Verde WWF, awarded to the film that best reflects an environmental theme, and is eligible for the Swatch First Feature Award. The plot mixes two extremely original elements into one plotline: Jonah (Levan Gelbakhiani) is a peculiar type of actor who provides comfort to strangers by pretending to be one of their loved ones in a world where, due to the increasing heat from the sun, people live their lives during the night.

Set in a desolate, futuristic city without a name, the film uses the isolation caused by the climate crisis (which resembles the aftermath of the COVID-19 lockdown, mixed with the contemporary natural disasters that flood the news) to set up a very intimate story about parenthood and hope for the future, despite its downbeat setting. The services that Jonah provides interestingly came to Zünd (who wrote the script together with Arne Kohlweyer) while filming her documentary Almost There [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] in Japan, where she found an agency that offers professional actors who can play any role you need, such as a best friend, husband, daughter or even funeral mourners. In Don't Let the Sun, nine-year-old Nika (portrayed by the very convincing Maria Pia Pepe) marks a breaking point in Jonah’s relatively stable job. As the pair get to know each other better, and the girl opens up to him, treating him as a father figure, Jonah discovers a new side to himself.

The movie uses silence as a powerful narrative tool. Most of the scenes feature little to no dialogue and mostly rely on the atmosphere, which is generated by a blend of visuals, and carefully chosen and sporadic sounds (special praise goes to the music by Marcel Vaid). The menacing sun, which resembles the one in Danny Boyle’s Sunshine [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], albeit under very different conditions, is the perfect backdrop for a story that yields salvation and hope, through the delicate portrayal of its characters. The dusty cinematography, in the hands of Nikolai von Graevenitz, contributes to the overall dystopian look, especially in the wide shots, and the “heat” can be felt throughout the film.

Don't Let the Sun is a clear example of a film whose technical finesse and interesting storyline premise succeed in saving the final result, which, slightly disappointingly, feels somewhat restrained compared to its potential on paper. The feeling is that a piece may be missing from the puzzle (maybe a tad more “ruggedness” or, in a way, imperfection, would have helped), and the relatively dry approach to the relationship between the characters may not appeal to all. In other words, Zünd’s film may be overly “perfect” and be lacking in spontaneity. That being said, the feature boasts a very powerful narrative that should attract attention for its inventiveness and freshness in an oversaturated market, and its formal qualities will pique interest, too.

Don’t Let the Sun was produced by Lomotion (Switzerland), in co-production with Casa Delle Visioni (Italy) and SRF - Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (Switzerland). Its world sales are handled by Sideral Cinema.