Written and directed by photographer-turned-filmmaker James J. Robinson, First Light is an exciting new religious drama that could herald an exciting new era for Australian cinema.
A co-production between the Philippines and Australia, the film follows Sister Yolanda, a Filipino Catholic nun whose faith in the Church is shaken by a tragic accident within the community. Ruby Ruiz stars as Yolanda, and her performance is absolutely exceptional. She carries the film with a quiet poise and gravitas that is mesmerising for the viewer. She is so central to the structure and narrative of Robinson’s work that were a lesser actor to take the role, the entire film itself would crumble at the knees. In a way, it is strange to see Australia, a cinematic industry that is usually far more concerned with fast and flashy entertainment films, involve itself so heavily in a film that is essentially a Diazesque slow cinema work, but the result is undeniable.
The film is poignant and shattering and beautiful and communicates the humanistic potential of cinema as a means of spiritual and personal exploration better than most any film I’ve seen in the past decade. Robinson’s background as a photographer means that First Light captures the raw essence of a moment in much the same way as a picture does, and leaves the audience with much to think about in a way that sadly some other Australian films fail to achieve. His film could herald a new dawn for Australian works, in which filmmakers are more concerned with the internal lives of their characters than with external narrative commitments, and as such can study the Australian psyche in a more holistic and meaningful way, an idea that I found both incredibly exciting and incredibly moving.
In any case, First Light should be touted as the gold standard of what our nation’s cinema could be. Its cinematography is breathtaking and looks like a painting, its editing is so precise that the viewer doesn’t even notice the runtime passing, and its sound design is so immersive that it makes you feel like you’re right there within the film itself. It is, without hyperbole, one of the most beautiful works of cinema I have ever had the pleasure to see play out on the screen in front of me, and you should run to see it as soon as possible. You will not regret doing so.
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