Overview
A group of high school friends embarks on a wild adventure to create their own horror film, blending laughter and thrills along the way.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- warm
- hopeful
- lazy weekend
- group movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an entertaining and culturally specific coming-of-age comedy that captures Saudi youths' creative ambitions and the spirit of grassroots filmmaking.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Husam, Maan, Ibrahim, and Orabi attempt to produce a no-budget horror movie.
Husam's filmmaking project expresses a generation's desire to pursue creative professions despite social uncertainty.
The story is grounded in Saudi youth culture and the early struggle to imagine filmmaking as a serious profession.
Husam works with his best friend, one-time foe Ibrahim, and teacher Orabi to make the film.
Films like The Book of Sun, and why
The Disaster Artist
high school coming-of-age comedy centered on making an ambitious low-budget film
Bowfinger
scrappy filmmaking comedy with an ensemble of determined amateurs and affectionate genre satire
Sing Street
youthful creative ambition, outsider friendship, and warm comedic energy
Movie Details
- Director
- Faris Godus
- Release Date
- 2020-07-30
- Runtime
- 130 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (45)
Cast
- Baraa Alem
- Sohayb Godus
- Nadia Malaika
- Faris Godus
- Ismail Alhassan
- Ahmed Al-Saddam
- Nawaf Alshubaili
Common questions
- What is The Book of Sun about?
- A Saudi high-school senior recruits friends, a former rival, and a teacher to chase a cinematic dream through a no-budget horror production.
- What is The Book of Sun like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Book of Sun as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Book of Sun violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Book of Sun.
- What did critics think of The Book of Sun?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an entertaining and culturally specific coming-of-age comedy that captures Saudi youths' creative ambitions and the spirit of grassroots filmmaking.
- Which films are like The Book of Sun?
- Films with a similar feel include The Disaster Artist, Bowfinger, and Sing Street.
- How long is The Book of Sun?
- The Book of Sun runs 130 minutes.
