Sun Choke

Come for the abidingly mysterious plot, stay for Hagan's bewitching performance.

The film doesn't always work as a genre exercise, but it's a winner as a character study, in large part because of how committed Hagan is to playing Janie's derangement. Casting directors in search of the offbeat should take note.

Madness and motherlessness rule and unravel in Ben Cresciman's beautifully disturbing study of dissociation.

This will probably not be to everyone's tastes considering the film's uncomfortable nature and the lack of clarity within the narrative, but this film offers a unique experience that'll leave you surprised and intrigued.

Both for better and worse, Sun Choke doesn't spell anything out for anyone.

Sun Choke is plagued by the vague and cryptic.

... muted horror entry punctuated by explosions of graphic violence ... veers from Ingmar Bergman arty to De Palma trippy ... will be interesting to see which path Cresciman takes from here.

A beautifully-acted movie that probes some of the darker elements of the human psyche with style and undeniable scariness.

A tense journey of psychological despair.

Hagan is great, but the picture isn't, better appreciated as a directorial exercise for a burgeoning filmmaker than an engrossing exploration of insanity.

Sun Choke succeeds in telling a small-scale story with tons of interest, abandoning typical plot structures in favor of genuine discovery.

This slow-burn thriller offers intense psychological drama, but its deliberate coolness and ambiguity may frustrate genre audiences looking for a more conventional payoff.