#REVIEW: “THE LIGHT BEFORE THE SUN”

By Mr. Will Wong

Having premiered at the Hamilton Film Festival last October, the Blue Mountain Film Festival this week, and now ImagineNATIVE‘s Short Film Program: Living in Two Worlds, Director Michael Greyeyes returns with an enthralling 30-minute short film, THE LIGHT BEFORE THE SUN. It is written by Canadian Comedy Award winner Rob Baker, with a story created by Tamara Podemski (seen currently in Apple TV+‘s MURDERBOT, Prime Video’s Outer Range) and Jamie Thomas King (Showtime‘s THE TUDORS, AMC’s MAD MEN).

The story centers on Daniel Wolf (King), a world-renowned self-help book author just wrapping his international book tour. Daniel quietly is battling his own demons, reconciling his success and adoration from fans, with his vices and secret life. Unable to rest, he calls upon his buddy Freddie, played by Rick Roberts (CTV/NBC‘s TRANSPLANT and ABC’s DESIGNATED SURVIVOR) and together they go on a binge where the layers are unpeeled and we see them at their most core selves. It is on this night that things take a turning point for Daniel in understanding who he truly is as a person.

The Short Film has a sophisticated look and finish to it and leaves us feeling as though there is much more to say about Daniel. It might even benefit from a bit more space to tell it. One cannot help but walk away pondering Daniel’s journey to the version of him we see here, and what might be next.

King delivers a tremendous, nuanced performance, saying the most when Daniel isn’t saying much and tapping into the pain he carries. And it is little wonder why Roberts just scored an ACTRA Award for his layered performance here, his energy pairing perfectly with Daniel‘s softness.

Definitely worthy of your attention, THE LIGHT BEFORE THE SUN is the first ever production from King and Podemski‘s Blackbird Productions, and will be available through imagineNATIVE’s online festival June 9-15, 2025.