Dawn (2014)

Details
Director: Rose McGowan
Writer: M.A. Fortin & Joshua John Miller
Cast: Tara Lynne Barr, Hannah Marks, Reiley McClendon, John Grady
Genre: Short, Drama, Thriller
Runtime: 17 mintues

On Monday, June 22, 2015, Rose McGowan released her much-anticipated short film as it was one of many short films which was picked by the Sundance Film Festival in 2014 and gained a warm feedbacks from the critics. Dawn tells the story of a young teenager named Dawn (played by Tara Lynne Barr) who longs for something or someone to free her from her sheltered life. The film was set in the 1960s. As her fan, I was so happy to know that Rose has done a breakthrough for herself in directing besides acting. And it's true, I was keen to watch the short film which was nominated for Short Film Grand Jury Prize award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was also getting a buzz for an Oscar nomination (though she didn't get it). Here goes my review.

Dawn is to be true an intense yet stylish film about the life of a girl during her rebellious phase who basically had a very fanatically protective parents. The 17-minutes-long film is wrapped up in a quite disturbing ending. As it is set in the 1960s, the short film seemingly have a bit of modern touch but is presented in precise storytelling. It is also quite a moving story with the warning to both parents and teenagers on their society.

Dawn played by Tara Lynne Barr.

“Dawn is a cautionary tale. We hurt girls with casual negligence. We change the course of lives with a stereotypical view shared thoughtlessly. We shape the minds of the innocent. Let's think different and be better.” said Rose McGowan as her message to the audience who watches. Somehow, the short film also tells about misogyny and feminism. It's clear with the depiction of Dawn in a vulnerable figure and a bitter ending, marking Dawn as a typically strong thriller. Though it could be a good example of short film done correctly, Dawn somehow looks predictable through its "dark" style. Also with the depiction of Dawn's life which could be considered "not so representing."


As a conclusion, Dawn is both riveting and thought provoking. It's the type of film which can make you feel sorry and say “Oh my god” or “Jeez” or whatever comes to your mind. The cast worked nicely. The story was acted in a proper way thanks to Rose McGowan's excellent directing. The style productions, which was also handled by Rose, proved to be a great depiction of 1960s. The whole short film is typically accompanied with incredible sound mixing and music. Dawn is utterly amazing, straightforward, disturbing, worth to watch twice as suggested by Rose McGowan and showed what Miss McGowan had always dreamed about.

Rating: A

Watch Dawn now if you don't believe me:

“My inspirations were varied - I wanted the color palette of The Parent Trap (1961) the loneliness of an Edward Hopper painting, the driving tension of Night of the Hunter mixed with Hemingway's unsparing style of editing. These greats are my teachers.” Rose McGowan admitted.