Page 2 February 24, 2022
Check It Out
Hangry by Drew Brockington
By Kristina Kora-Beckman, Senior Librarian,
El Segundo Public Library
We’ve all experienced a time in our lives
when we’re hungry, and angry, and they feed
on each other until we’re HANGRY! This
delightful story captures the buildup and big
emotions that a small green dinosaur feels
when he is hungry but foiled time and again
in his search for a hot dog to curb his appetite.
Chaos ensues when the dino grows and grows
as he gets hungrier and angrier, and hungrier,
and angrier until he’s an enormous hangry
rampaging monster destroying buildings and
eating everything in sight.
Colorful spreads and word bubble dialog
lend a comic book feel to the title while interspersed
humor balanced with the voice of
reason, aka a hot dog vendor that has “enough
for everyone” leads to a satisfying resolution
for all. Kids and adults alike can relate to
both feeling hangry, and dealing with hangry
people. Brockington’s story can be a great
conversation starter about what to do with
those feelings and how we can address them
before, and even after, they get out of control.
To check out Hangry or other humorous
social emotional books for kids of all ages,
please visit youth section, located on the
lower level of our library. For more reading
suggestions or help with free reading or
school assignments, please stop by the adult
or youth service desks, we’d love to help you
find your next great read! •
Film Review
In Twist-Filled Drama ‘Sundown,’
Tim Roth Reveals His Shadow Self
By Ryan Rojas
Where to watch: ‘Sundown’ is now playing
in select theaters and available to rent on
Digital Platforms.
When it first begins, Sundown slows you
down to its wonderfully relaxing, worry-free
vacation time. The sight of Tim Roth endlessly
lounging in a luxurious resort overlooking a
beautiful Mexican coastline had me enjoying
every gorgeously serene and sun-drenched
moment (and made me remember his other
vacation film, 2021’s Bergman Island). Then,
Sundown’s darker story begins to unfold, and
the shadows begin to loom large. Soon enough,
I also remembered the other side of the fantasy
that vacations offer: escaping from your current
circumstances, and yourself.
Unless anybody spoils the story for you (don’t
worry, I’ll spare you any overly- revelatory
Hangry by Drew Brockington Kristina Kora-Beckman Tim Roth as Neil Bennett in ‘Sundown,’ a film by Michel Franco, photo courtesy of Bleecker Street.
details here), you’ll have absolutely no idea
what to expect in this twist-filled, thrilling
drama. Heading into Sundown as blind as
possible really will make for the best viewing
experience. Although even I knew a tad more
than I would’ve liked to have known before
going in, I was still entirely unprepared for
what Sundown had in store.
Written and directed by Michel Franco
(2020’s New Order), Sundown is a slow-burn
film that follows Neil (Tim Roth) on vacation
in Mexico with his family, Alice (Charlotte
Gainsbourg), Alexa (Albertine Kotting McMillan),
and Colin (Samuel Bottomley). When an
unexpected emergency summons them all back
home to London, the family must cut their
trip short and hurry to the airport. It’s a tense
moment, made even more heart-dropping when
Neil realizes that he’s forgotten his passport
back at the hotel. Unable to join them on the
flight and now separated from his family, he
hops into a taxi. When the driver asks where
he’s headed–and it’s here where the film gets
interesting– Neil simply requests to be taken
to a hotel–any hotel.
Puzzled, we’re left trying to make sense of
what’s going on in Neil’s head by studying his
calm demeanor and blank, expressionless stares
(the film definitely hints that something’s on
his mind, with shots of him staring vacantly
into the ocean and pools). Neil proceeds to
aimlessly walkabout in his flip-flops, having
beers on the beach, and even meeting a local,
Berenice (Iazua Larios). While Alice continues
to try to contact him, Neil continues to deceive
and avoid her calls. We’re now fully only along
for this mysterious ride, and the Sundown only
dials up the heat from there.
Writer-director Michel Franco patiently divulges
every piece of new information, which
ratchets up the suspense in every scene. Neil’s
avoidance really gets under your skin–a cinematic
sunburn–when you consider how easy
it would be for any one of us to do exactly
that. We’ve all had fantasies where we imagine
leaving our old lives behind, impulsively staying
on that never-ending vacation. Sometimes
it’s in the pursuit of enjoying the pleasures
that the world has to offer, other times it’s for
deeper, more twisted, and complex reasons.
Like avoiding sinister truths that we can only
attempt to outrun for so long.
Franco teases out the rest of Neil’s larger
story so well, especially in regards to how
he shoots the film. Yves Cape’s (2012’s Holy
Motors) beautiful cinematography consists of
widely framed shots, immersing and hiding
Neil in his surroundings. The enduring images
in Sundown are of Neil slumped over
in various lounge chairs, staring vacantly into
large bodies of water (the ocean, a hotel pool,
it makes no difference). Also, from behind, in
three-quarter, and side-profile shots (there is
always a side of him we’re not seeing). Franco
uses the idea of the sun and the shadow to
further symbolize Neil’s internally conflicted
state. Neil stays mostly in the shadows of
his hotel room or on the beach, except for a
sprinkling of moments where he’s head-on in
the scorching sunlight.
Tim Roth is truly exceptional here. As Neil,
Roth gives a mostly quiet, internal, and understated
performance. The longer Neil remains
unwaveringly relaxed under these distressing
times, the tension grows to wildly unexpected
new heights. We eventually learn about Neil’s
history and his family’s global significance
as an affluent business, which reveals Neil’s
strange behavior. With Sundown, Roth continues
to re-emerge onto the film scene as an unsettling,
pathological figure (look for him as an unnerving
villain in Resurrection, which premiered
at Sundance this year). Just by sipping a beer,
or even while doing nothing, Roth radiates an
unnerving quality who seems to be possessed
by the question: what is peace? Is it the sustained
feeling of happiness, or can peace just be
what’s left when you’ve outrun the darkness?
If you’re intrigued, and in search of a
smartly-written film that starts as a slow-burn
drama before ending up as a head-spinning,
jaw-dropping hallucinatory fever dream of a
film, then look no further than Sundown. Led
by an incredible performance by Tim Roth,
Sundown is one of the most unexpected, gripping,
and utterly arresting dramas I’ve had the
joy of seeing recently.
1h 22m. ‘Sundown’ is rated R for sexual
content, violence, language, and some graphic
nudity. •
Ryan Rojas
Entertainment
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