Watch The Sideways Light

The Sideways Light is a stunning, slow-burning drama directed by Jennifer Harlow and released in 2014. The movie takes place in rural Texas and follows Lily (Lindsay Burdge), a young woman who returns to her hometown to attend her father’s funeral. Lily is a photographer, and she’s struggling to find her artistic voice. She’s feeling lost and disconnected, haunted by a traumatic event from her past. She stays with her mother, Ruth (Annalee Jefferies), and her sister, Marion (Jeanne Evans), in their family’s old farmhouse.

The film explores Lily’s relationship with her family and with her surroundings. The Texas landscape is a character in its own right, with wide-open spaces and dramatic, moody skies. The movie celebrates the beauty of the natural world and the power of art to capture that beauty. Lily’s photography gives her a way to connect with her surroundings, to make sense of the world around her.

But The Sideways Light is not just about art and nature. It’s a character study, a portrait of a woman struggling to find meaning and connection. Lily feels like she doesn’t belong in this rural, conservative world. She’s queer, and she’s grappling with her own identity. She’s also haunted by a past trauma that slowly becomes clearer as the movie progresses.

In many ways, The Sideways Light is a quiet movie. There are few overtly dramatic moments, and much of the action is internal. But it’s a deeply affecting movie, thanks in large part to Lindsay Burdge’s performance as Lily. Burdge conveys so much with her expressions and body language, and she gives Lily a wounded, vulnerable quality that’s hard to shake. Annalee Jefferies and Jeanne Evans are also strong as Ruth and Marion, giving nuanced, sympathetic performances.

The movie is also visually stunning. The cinematography, by Bart Cortright, captures the beauty of the Texas landscape in all its glory. There are wide, sweeping shots of fields and skies, and intimate, close-up portraits of flowers, plants, and animals. The score, by Gavin Brivik, is spare and haunting, adding to the movie’s elegiac mood.

The Sideways Light is not a movie for everyone. Some may find it slow or meandering. But for those willing to let themselves get swept up in its atmosphere, it’s a powerful, haunting film. It’s a movie about grief, trauma, identity, and the ways in which art can help us connect with the world around us. It’s a reminder that even in our darkest moments, there’s beauty and connection to be found.

The Sideways Light is a 2016 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 24 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.4.