On the run from his former employer, a reluctant hitman seeks refuge in an isolated village where he is faced with events that test the true nature of his conscience.
The Hanging Sun is a 2022 Italian-British noir thriller film directed by Francesco Carrozzini. It is an adaptation of the 2015 novel Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbø. The film had its world premiere as the closing film of the 79th Venice International Film Festival on 10 September
John is on the run after defying his father, a crime boss. Pursued by his brother, John heads to the far North. He comes to an isolated village, where the sun never sets, with a small community of strict religious conformists: a place that seems to belong to another era. There, he meets Lea, a woman in difficult straits, but showing great strength, and her son Caleb, a curious child with a pure heart. Lea also has her demons: the death at sea of her abusive husband Aaron. As the days go by, the three grow closer. For Lea, John is the first man able to offer her protection, but without depriving her of her freedom; and for Caleb, he is an unhoped-for father figure with whom he can share his world. John also seems to glimpse in this encounter the possibility of redemption and a new life. Inevitably, they begin to feel like a newly-formed family. With John at bay as his brother closes in, and Aaron’s brother setting his sights on Lea, the two must find a way to break the ties to their past and start over.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
When I first read Nesbø’s novel Midnight Sun, I was in California, and nothing could have been further from the landscapes described. Yet, I immediately felt passionate about this story of life at the very edge of the world. All the work I subsequently did on myself and consequently on the film meant a bumpy, surprising and cathartic journey, during which I became a father and learned what it means to be a son. Stefano Bises’ writing gave great power to the path, helping to solidify a romantic drama with the cement of noir. And finally, the relationship with these rare, talented actors revealed to me the magic of making cinema, a dream I always had and which has now become reality.
The Hanging Sun (2022) // Sole di mezzanotte
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Release Date: Sep 12, 2022 (Italy)
Stars: Alessandro Borghi, Jessica Brown Findlay, Peter Mullan
