Tim Sutton is a filmmaker with a distinct visual style, which he brings into the heart of the gun control debate with Dark Night, an entrancing, terrifying exploration of the moments before a horrible event. Following multiple characters living in a Florida town, Sutton paints an American portrait that feels doubly relevant following last year’s election and everything that’s come since. The Film Stage had an earnest conversation with the writer/director about the the business of indie film, how politics affect art and how one casts a film so it feels authentic to the story being told.
The Film Stage: When you jump into a project like this, what’s the research process like?
Tim Sutton: So, research-wise I really tried to limit myself. People have asked if I’ve talked to a lot of people in Aurora or in Denver, and I did not. The work is purely fiction,...
The Film Stage: When you jump into a project like this, what’s the research process like?
Tim Sutton: So, research-wise I really tried to limit myself. People have asked if I’ve talked to a lot of people in Aurora or in Denver, and I did not. The work is purely fiction,...
- 2/6/2017
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Cinelicious Pics has debuted an official trailer for a super low budget indie drama titled Dark Night, from New York-based director Tim Sutton. The film premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival in the low budget Next category, and is opening in limited theaters this February. It follows a troubled kid planning a mass shooting, loosely based around The Dark Knight Rises shooting a few years ago, even though it's not the same story (turned into a film). Starring Robert Jumper, Anna Rose Hopkins, Karina Macias. I saw this film at Sundance last year and it's definitely not for me: oh so boring, not much of a plot, really not impressive in any way. Of course, that's just my opinion, other critics found more to appreciate. Have a look. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Tim Sutton's Dark Night, direct from YouTube: A haunting, artfully understated critique of American gun culture,...
- 1/10/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A few days after Omar Mateen murdered 49 people in a gay nightclub in Florida, Universal Pictures canceled a press junket for “The Purge: Election Year,” the latest in a dystopian horror franchise in which lunatics butcher helpless civilians. From a marketing perspective, it’s hard to argue with that decision: When tales of real-life violence dominate the airwaves, no one wants to promote a fictional alternative.
At the same time, that moment may represent a lost opportunity. Yes, the junket participants would be forced to cope with a barrage of questions about the impact of glorified killing in popular culture. However, that also might have created an essential dialogue that can only progress when people are willing to engage in it.
In an editorial for Variety, director Michael Showalter accused Hollywood of contributing “to an overall culture of violence that affects our society in negative ways.” Others may see it differently: Hollywood exploits violence,...
At the same time, that moment may represent a lost opportunity. Yes, the junket participants would be forced to cope with a barrage of questions about the impact of glorified killing in popular culture. However, that also might have created an essential dialogue that can only progress when people are willing to engage in it.
In an editorial for Variety, director Michael Showalter accused Hollywood of contributing “to an overall culture of violence that affects our society in negative ways.” Others may see it differently: Hollywood exploits violence,...
- 6/25/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
In many ways, writer-director Tim Sutton‘s third feature, Dark Night, exists in the same world as his first two films, Pavilion and Memphis. As we follow a collection of young men and women drifting through a long day in the American suburbs, many of the themes from his earlier work shine through — boredom as punctuated by anger, lust, and artistic ambition, to name a few. Where the day will end we already know, thanks to the film’s blunt title, a not-so-subtle reference to the 2012 shooting at a showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado.
Before the violence, there are a swath of selfies and video games and vape pens and angst, building a lingering sense of dread within this portrait of “normal.” Most of the performers remain unnamed and dialogue is mostly scarce. One faux-doc interview, in which a mother and her distant son attempt to...
Before the violence, there are a swath of selfies and video games and vape pens and angst, building a lingering sense of dread within this portrait of “normal.” Most of the performers remain unnamed and dialogue is mostly scarce. One faux-doc interview, in which a mother and her distant son attempt to...
- 1/26/2016
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Filmmaker Tim Sutton has quietly emerged as a directorial talent with a distinctive visual and narrative voice. His debut, “Pavilion,” made waves at SXSW; his followup, “Memphis,” debuted at the Venice Film Festival, screened at Sundance, and once again established his singular approach; and this week he returns to Park City with “Dark Night,” which might be his boldest statement yet. Read More: Check Out All Of Our 2016 Sundance Film Festival Coverage Starring Robert Jumper, Anna Rose Hopkins, Rosie Rodriguez, Karina Macias, Aaron Purvis, and Eddie Cacciola, the story unfolds over the course of a lazy summer day, leading to an unforgettable event that is likely to have audiences buzzing at Sundance. Certainly, its placement in the Next category of programming, where films like “Tangerine,” “James White,” “A Girl Who Walks Home Alone At Night,” “Obvious Child,” and others have broken out in recent years, bodes well, and makes "Dark Night...
- 1/23/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
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