“Dawn” is an absolutely devastating film which is belied by its unbelievably vivid visual style of its innocent decade. Director Rose McGowan has a keen directorial sense, delivering one truly dark and vicious short film that is made even more gut wrenching thanks to the eerie performances by the entire cast.
“Dawn” is set during a more simple time of the fifties where we meet Dawn. Tara Lynn Barr gives a brutally excellent performance as Dawn, a gorgeous young girl who is turned in to a shut in by her parents. One day while at a pit stop she meets Charlie, a gas station attendant and soon her life begins to change. “Dawn” is breathtaking in the way that it builds up to its ultimate ending by introducing a set of shut ins and how they experience life through one another. Dawn is a well meaning enough child who is perhaps too shut in and this makes her naïve.
McGowan warns of the dangers of exploration, while also discovering the harm of sheltering a child too much, making Dawn one woefully unaware of what the three people around her are, and what they’re planning in the long run. I loved Reiley McClendon’s performance as the multi-layered Charlie, who seems like Dawn’s perfect dream boat upon first glance. McClendon lends the film a real sense of unease that make the character of Charlie unpredictable, and ultimately haunting. “Dawn” is a great debut for Rose McGowan, a powerful drama and thriller, and one that makes me anxious to see what else she has for us up the pipeline.
“Dawn” debuts on Youtube this month.