Title: The Wake of Light
MPAA Rating: NA
Director: Renji Philip
Starring: Rome Brooks, Lincoln Bodin
Runtime: 1h 25 min

What It Is: Mary (Brooks) lives a quiet life in a quiet town taking care of her disabled father until Cole (Bodin) wanders in to have his car fixed. The complex relationship they form challenges both of their ideas about fear, responsibility, and how they want to live their lives.

 What We Think: The camera in The Wake of Light tends to linger. This offers the audience an opportunity to be as pensive as Mary and Cole tend to be, but it also makes the film feel much longer than its 85 minute run time. Combined with the fact that not much happens through the first half of the film, one might find themselves checking their watch at times. Despite this, staying attentive has its rewards. The end of the film explores questions of morality, responsibility, and control over one’s own life.

Our Grade: B-, Visually, this film is beautiful. It is fitting that light, one of the film’s central motifs, is used so well throughout it. Combined with the always pleasing, sometimes haunting music by Josh Kramer, the light of a sunset, or a street lamp, or a sparkler sets the mood for the most important scenes. While the greater part of the story tends to drag on, the ending is original and cathartic. I give high praise to the directing and the performance of Rome Brooks.