Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Beulah Bram A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

valis1949 THINGS BEHIND THE SUN (dir. Allison Anders) Sherry is the hard-drinking lead singer of a Floridian alternative-country-rock band who has been deeply traumatized by a violent incident from her past. Sherry was raped as a young teenager, and has never been able to deal with pain and emotional fallout of this event. Just as her band begins to enjoy wider exposure, a writer from an underground magazine mysteriously informs her of missing information about the rape that might allow her to put the incident behind her, or irrevocably throw them both over the edge. Great ensemble acting by a terrific cast, and the film deals with more than just the act of rape, but addresses the moral complicity of an observer of rape who chooses to do nothing. This is truly 'An Overlooked Film', and it really deserves much wider acclaim. Great understated performances by Don Cheadle, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, and features a cameo by singer/songwriter, J. Mascis, of the legendary alternative-rock band, DINOSAUR JR.......... MUST SEE

lastliberal This got and Emmy and Independent Spirit nomination for Don Cheadle, and an Indy nomination for Kim Dickens, who plays Sherrie, a rock singer in Cocoa Beach, Florida who was raped. Cheadle is her manager and former lover.Sherrie doesn't know why her life is messed up, and why she can't move out of a life of promiscuity and drunkenness, because she has repressed the rape. Owen (Gabriel Mann) knows about the rape, and is doing a story on the girl behind the song she wrote. He is doing it because he was involved in Sherrie's rape. He has demons of his own to exorcise.This was a powerful story of how a teen rape can cause permanent damage, not only to the person raped, but to everyone in her life from that day forward. The dysfunctional relationships that one experiences through life can be traced back to that rape.The ending was a little to pat, but that's movies.

robtheo1973 I caught this movie in the early AM hours and could not stop watching, even though I needed to get some sleep. I had to watch the whole thing after investing the time and energy in the first hour.I was amazed at the subtleties in the ending. The first real smile on the face of Sherry at the end was amazing. Up until that point, any smile had seemed forced or under the influence.The one element that made me scratch my head was during Sherry's first meeting with the adult Owen that had come to interview her. It seemed to me that she should have had all of those feelings come flooding back as soon as she heard his whole name. She obviously would have blocked out anything that occurred after the rape, but young Owen was her best friend/first crush. I felt that she easily would have recalled that, but not anything that included him in the rape.I read in another comment that the subject matter of this film is something that women are frequently familiar with. Just as familiar is the feeling that the character of Chuck experienced. He was forced to try to steady the ship until Sherry finally reconciled what had happened in whatever manner she could. He had no outlet and no way to help her until she was ready.

jonathanlander I've seen. Slow and painful this story gets into the psyche of the victims unlike most other stories treating the same subject. The stories and writing style of Joyce Carol Oates came to mind through the intentionally slow, methodical pacing revealing each layer of the painful retelling of the victims' stories.Arquette gives a brilliant performance as does Cheedle and Stoltz. Gabrielle Mann comes off a little too 'waah, waah, Mr. Sensitive author' but there's an honesty that rings true in his performance and works nicely with the others.I think the only way this movie could improve is to perform it on stage. It has an intimacy that could resonate much more effectively then on the screen. All in all, I highly recommend it.