Starring: Noah Parker, Douglas Smith
Lunar Sway follows Cliff (Noah Parker), a young man living in a desert town called Mooncrest, as he struggles with his sexuality and unexpectedly connects with his estranged birth mother. After learning of his mother’s numerous secrets, he embarks on a wild adventure and a trail of secrets, while also spending time with his love interest, Stew (Douglas Smith). The piece is a coming-of-age story about self-discovery and seeking longing in a world that has treated you harshly your whole life.
The pace of the film is intentionally meandering to establish the litany of characters and setting of Mooncrest, while also setting up the central adventure Cliff is set on. Unfortunately, the pacing is beneficial during the opening of the piece. However, it becomes a detriment to the latter half, as the experience amounts to fairly minor events. While the approach to taking its time to establish Cliff and the relationship sparking with his estranged birth mother is admirable, the payoff feels incredibly underwhelming due to its prolonged setup. That being said, there is still plenty to admire about the piece from a technical standpoint. Firstly, cinematographer Dmitry Lopatin’s camerawork is enthralling, with its consistent use of wide shots presenting the expanse of the desert town. The use of close-ups is also admirable during the more intimate moments Cliff shares with his lover, Stew, and his mother.
The surreal sequences that take place within Cliff’s imagination are stunning and further enrich this characterisation, accompanied by composers Adrian Ellis and Walker Grimshaw’s hypnotic and understated musical score. Despite the film’s budget constraints, these sequences are one of the standouts of the experience. The script, however, could have delved more into Cliff’s past and his further ambitions beyond his struggles with his sexuality. While the themes of self-discovery and experimentation of queer identity are briefly explored, an added context of his personality would have made his characterisation more compelling to witness.
The central performance from Noah Parker in his portrayal of Cliff is mostly admirable as he conveys a myriad of nuances whilst trying to piece together his mother’s secrets and his relationship with Stew, portrayed wonderfully by Douglas Smith. However, the standout of this ensemble is Grace Glowicki in her portrayal of Bailey, as her character’s actions catalyse the conflict during the second half of the runtime.
While the film takes a while to get going, the second half is ultimately the most compelling when the adventure and mystery elements are introduced, and the viewer is forced to piece together the narrative threads. The sprawling misadventure approach is commendable; however, the piece meanders to a grinding halt in its conclusion, which is the most frustrating aspect of the experience. This is mainly due to a bizarre tonal shift that doesn’t entirely land, and the mystery elements amount to minor efforts to further flesh out Cliff’s character development.
Lunar Sway is a strange and surreal experience that unfortunately doesn’t entirely work. While the piece presents interesting ideas and tackles universal themes, such as queer identity, its execution sadly falters due to sluggish pacing, ultimately yielding little in its conclusion.
Lunar Sway premiered at BFI Flare on March 22, 2026.