Exit the Sun

Dov Wills

Getting ready to go see the drama/suspense shorts, I was so excited! My mind was filled with wondering what the films would be comprised of. I was also excited to spend time with my dear friend, Anna. She offered a unique perspective because she’s hearing and doesn’t know any Sign. She has recently become intrigued by the Deaf community through watching “Switched at Birth”. So, when she saw my ads on Facebook for the SDFF, she asked if she could go.

She was surprised to learn halfway through the shorts that we were all in the same boat - reading the captions. She had no idea, until I told her, that most of the movies were in BSL. Here she was watching the movies thinking she was one of the few to have to read the captions!

The first film was about a frequently told story and there was no creativity or character development. I was let down and was thinking maybe the rest of the films were going to let me down, too. To my relief, the quality and depth greatly improved. But I soon realized that Anna was missing out on some strong artistic flares and metaphors in the movies that could only be picked up on by someone that knows ASL or Deaf culture. In “Go Ahead”, would you still get the irony if you didn’t know how antiquated TTY’s are these days … pushed aside in favor of text messages and video phones? Also, there was the use of two Sign systems in “Exit the Sun” to deepen the meaning behind the movie. The “foreigner” to the main character’s lair was using an international Sign, while the main character continued using a deep ASL. Suffice it to say, she didn’t vote that her favorite movie, like I did.

“Exit the Sun” was a brilliant portrayal of the main character’s relationship with material goods and how it relates to human relationships. It even goes to the extreme of showing how the main character could not maintain a relationship with a person, in this case, the “foreigner”, without losing his grasp on his current delusion of a contented state with material items. In our world of consumerism and searching to fill our void with tangible items like food and sex, this movie hit me with how much the void we often create has nothing to do with people and relationships and ultimately, spirituality.

I don’t know anything about making movies and mostly watch them just for the storyline or because I love the actor. So, sitting in the theater watching these films, I was profoundly moved by how much more than “a good story” these films were. I enjoyed them even though the story may not be what held me and I didn’t always know the actors; I enjoyed it so much because of the quality of the films and the depth of the concepts portrayed.

By the way, Anna really enjoyed herself and loved the movies! We had great conversations afterwards based on what we’d seen!