Sunlight Jnr. – Lingering Mood of Quiet Desperation

Writer/director Laurie Collyer’s low-budget drama features a cool cast and moving playing, and yet the lingering mood of quiet desperation makes it slightly hard to take - especially if your life is a little on the desperate side. Melissa (Naomi Watts) and Richie (Matt Dillon) are a Miami couple experiencing severe financial problems who discover that Melissa’s pregnant and wonder how they can get by with another mouth to feed, particularly as Richie’s in a wheelchair and can’t easily work (and, in a moment that mirrors contemporary Australia, is dealing with the threat of having his disability pension reduced as he’s basically not disabled enough). They’re also dealing with Melissa’s menacing ex Justin (The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus), hopeless relatives, mean bosses and the threat of eviction, and as the script descends into what feels like an endless series of arguments, you might well feel like trying self-harm. (Madman, MA, 90 Mins) ­