Will (Philip Andre Botello) is living a life too many of us identify with. His dismal day job as a bus driver is a never ending stream of monotony broken up only by the occasional altercation. His routine is mind numbing – get up, go to work, grab something for dinner at the convenience store, watch tv until it’s time for sleep. He wakes up and the cycle repeats. That is, until a beautiful and mysterious girl walks onto his bus. Ashe (Jakki Jandrell) is different, special, something about her is electric. It just so happens that right when she shows up, Will has to prove his metal when an old man starts causing trouble on his bus. This earns Ashe’s respect, and they agree to meet up later in the week.

Ashe and Will are very different, but there’s an underlying understanding between them. Something melancholic – they’re two lost souls. After a rocky start, they begin to fall in love. Will’s happier. He’s talking to coworkers. He’s changing his routine and filling his life with music and hobbies and Ashe. It isn’t until he discovers a dark secret from her past that he realizes the understanding they share is about something sinister, something he would rather forget – and it’s only then that he even begins to realize how deep those secrets and hurts run. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of the bloody, unbelievable story of Will and Ashe. Her ties to a world darker than Will could have ever imagined will lead to choices they never thought they would have to make.

SUNSET ON THE RIVER STYX has both style and substance in spades. Bold choices in terms of visual story lead the viewer on a journey that twists and turns in ways we never see coming. Even once the twist is revealed, it takes us a while to sort out the truth, and the roller coaster of emotions and actions from that point leave us gasping for breath all the way until the final shot. Nothing could have prepared me for the way this story would go. The cinematography and editing (by Idan Menin and Michael Felker, respectively) create the perfect frenetic but beautifully somber and ponderous energy behind each hairpin turn of SUNSET ON THE RIVER STYX.

One thing SUNSET ON THE RIVER STYX has that is completely rare if not nearly unheard of in the film world, particularly lower budget or independent films, is a nearly completely original soundtrack. Almost every song was written and performed especially for the film, with several songs by The Freakniks performed especially for the film. Like the gruesome color palette, the music lays the foundation for the gritty, true to life and far beyond fiction story playing out on screen.

As a conscious and worldly film reviewer, I would be remiss not to mention that there is some touchy material at play in this story – content warning for drug use, suicidal ideation and commentary on self harm, and as should surprise none of you – a healthy amount of blood and gore. Proceed with this in mind, and know that each subject above is handled with delicate grace.

SUNSET ON THE RIVER STYX blends a beautiful love story with something much darker, to great and nuanced results. Every piece of this puzzle fits in beautiful ways into an unexpected and thrillingly different box.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars