Phantasmagoria 2024 - Review of Daughter of the Sun by Ryan Ward

Phantasmagoria Festival 2024 - Review of Daughter of the Sun by Ryan Ward

Daughter of the Sun is part of a planned trilogy by director, co-writer, and lead actor Ryan Ward, which appeals to the nostalgia of 1970s cinema, while proposing a metaphysical experience of a father and daughter searching for a place to settle in a world they feel they do not belong to.

This second installment is independent of the first, Son of the Sun.

Daughter of the Sun takes place 12 years later, when Sunny is already in his thirties and has a teenage daughter. He is a strong-willed man who has gotten himself into trouble and struggles with Tourette's syndrome. Isolated from his dysfunctional family, he lives an unstable life with Hildie in rural areas, running from his sister and social services. There is something greater that they must hide: After undergoing experimental treatments to cure his condition, Sunny has the ability to heal people and animals.

For a teenager like Hildie, constantly running is not easy, but she adores her father and knows that they only have each other. Her father is a special being who has taught her to contemplate her existence by recognizing the nature of her surroundings and being aware that there are things beyond their control. Sunny is convinced that his ability comes from another world that guides and observes us.

When it’s time to look for a new place, Hildie’s little friend unexpectedly joins them, and despite Sunny’s resistance, they continue their journey, reaching a small community of nomads who seem to share their cosmic search. As they get involved with this mini society, led by a charismatic young woman with Down syndrome, and other members with various disabilities, Sunny’s powers begin to evolve to a new level, and Hildie also shows signs of developing them. The hidden motives of the group put them in serious danger and challenge them to test the limits of their powers.

Daughter of the Sun is a film with a certain rebellious spirit, seeking to challenge the conventions of modern cinema regarding how a story is told and at what pace. This is why it evokes the wonderful analog cinema and narratives of the 1970s, which were known for their greater creative exploration, presenting less idealized and theatrical characters, using popular music as a soundtrack, maximizing natural lighting, a less polished visual aesthetic, experimental editing, ambiguous endings, among others.

Ward is not interested in exploiting the magical powers of his protagonists; that would make for a typical fantasy movie, and he avoids this at all costs. Instead, he is interested in talking about the magic that comes from the unknown parts of the universe, from that observable world that must also be watching us, creating a metaphysical and existential meditation, with moments of lyrical beauty, transcendental lines, and others of great visual enjoyment. There are several extended scenes in this sense that function as a sensory experience.

Just as Hildie finds it increasingly difficult to understand her father’s behaviors and teachings, it’s possible not to fully grasp the purpose of this story at first glance – though this doesn’t stop you from enjoying it – because among its magical-poetic atmosphere, the underlying feeling that something is chasing them, the mystery of a spatial arrival, and its ideas about time, connections, light, and darkness, there’s something deeper that Ward seems to want to convey. This is also reflected in the title, which evokes mythologies where the symbolism between the Sun and the feminine relates to enlightenment, wisdom, powers over time, duality, or mediation between the celestial and earthly realms.

On a more superficial level, the less dense aspects of Daughter of the Sun also tell deeply emotional stories. It speaks of family and roots, unbreakable bonds, love, and empathy between the marginalized and the unknown. Its aesthetic will surely stay in your memory.

Technical Details

Director: Ryan Ward
Screenplay: Ryan Ward
Duration: 108 minutes
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Cast: Ryan Ward, Nyah Perkin
Editing: Mackenzi Leigh, Ryan Ward
Cinematography: Craig Range, Mandeep Sodhi
Music: David Bertok
Country: Canada
Year: 2023

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