Review for ‘‘The Sunshine Summit O’er the Mountain of Dishes’’ by James Kirby

In a rare instance of filmmaking as a 100% family affair, James Kirby almost single-handedly brings us The Sunshine Summit O’er the Mountain of Dishes, with him not only behind camera and computer, but also starring, with the rest of the roles adorably filled in by his actual family.

The family short itself, a student film just without a film degree attached as the writer/director/editor characterizes it, doesn't take itself too seriously, and thus works more as a fun experiment in filmmaking than anything deeper. We spend a short yet fun 5 minutes inside the mind of a family man faced with the challenge of reaching his home's pool while dodging his responsibility to do the dishes. A portrait into the modern man's life and family situation, it injects themes of gender roles, family communication, emotional maturity and a biting satire of the typical suburban family unit into an otherwise inconspicuous and light-hearted short story.

Effectively and dynamically shot, resourcefully made using the family's own spaces and utilities, The Sunshine Summit O’er the Mountain of Dishes is definitely pleasant to look at, though lighting may suffer from time to time. The editing works wonders for the comedic timing, and the protagonist's extremely animated and surreal acting carries the film on the performances front, in a manner reminiscent of comedy greats such as Jim Carrey.

In conclusion, James Kirby's family foray into filmmaking is an endearing if flawed iteration on psychological/daydream comedy, that is carried by passionate acting, editing and effective writing. We're hopeful that in the future, given a higher budget and opportunity, Kirby will bring the same passion to more intricate filmmaking efforts.