Hold The Sun

(USA, 2009, 93 mins, Video)

Producers: Sarah Wylie Ammreman, Zaylea, Yun
Writers/Editors: Zaylea, Yun
Cinematographer: Seo Won-tae
Sound: Jennifer Rarick
Music: Jennette Faith, Wed Steed
Cast: Nicole Mills-Novoa, Maya Mahrer, Ching-Yi Tseng, Aviance Rhome

In Person: David Yun, Laura Zaylea

In this powerfully alluring debut feature from directors Laura Zaylea David yun, questions of life and its pretense are brought to the forefront as we watch a quiet taxidermist, a forlorn artist and an isolated travel writer live out a question that haunts us all: is loneliness inherent to human condition? Set in the urban sprawl of San Francisco and featuring an all-female cast, HOLD THE SUN hypnotically meditates on the ordinary paradox of feeling alone in a saturated city, and poignantly explores meanings of community, desire and solitude within queer lives. The taxidermist Gwennie (Nicole Mills-Novoa) spends her time recreating the semblance of life through the bodies of deceased animals, while mystical Fox Woman (Aviance Rhome) performatively mimics the exact art of still life. Meanwhile, the artist Bonnie (Ching-Yi Tseng) grapples with the stagnation of her own creativity through a preoccupation with paint-by-numbers, and Ellen (Maya Mahrer) lyrically imagines the adventure of foreign destinations without ever leaving the boundaries her own home. How do these women connect, and how do they navigate themselves within both disaffectedness and affinity? With a stunningly subdued palate, an experimental mix of magic and realism, and a bold exploration of performance, HOLD THE SUN successfully ruptures our expectations of bustling urban life by luxuriating in the ubiquitous silence—and the ordinary magic—that exists amongst us.

-- Geraldine Ah-Sue

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