A young woman with a full body rash is staying in an apartment to tend to her sick mother, along with her sister and her boyfriend, who has hurt his leg and cannot move properly. The heat is exhausting, but after the sister leaves, things begin to heat up in a whole other way.

“Sunday” is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival

The element that dominates the narrative of this 13-minute short is tension. The heat, the sound of the machine that supports the mother, the boyfriend’s attitude, the broken TV, the alarm clock, all point towards this direction, and create an atmosphere that really works for the film, with Kris Ong using the sound in the best fashion.

The same applies to the visual antithesis exhibited by the woman’s body who is filled with rashes and the man’s who is filled with tattoos and muscles, as one emits sickness and the other health and beauty. The fact that the attraction is there also works quite well within this antithesis, with DP Lincoln Yeo highlighting the fact quite eloquently, as we watch the tension transforming into sensualism. The scene, however, could be shot a bit better, since the placement of the guy makes it somewhat unrealistic.

“Sunday” shows much promise and I would love to see the director expanding on this idea in a feature drama.