What I liked
The non-sequitur nature of fan fiction might be laborious to read, but to see it acted out in real time makes its absurdity fascinating and truly hilarious. The cast’s ability to move between various roles with complete, straight-faced commitment is spectacular, while the accelerating pace of the humor leads to a surprising moment of contrast when real life interrupts the fiction. Also, this made me want to listen to “Welcome to the Black Parade”, which is a very difficult thing for any work of art to accomplish.
What I didn't like
While I’m glad that Isaac was not redeemed in any way, it might have been nice to get a better understanding of what societal conditions produce the ‘Isaacs’ of the world (though it’s possible that he’s just a sociopath, it’s more powerful to imagine the kind of masculinity he represents as something that is systemically cultivated, and to recognize the damage this masculinity delivers).
My overall impression
In revealing the earnestness beneath the apparent absurdity of two highly disparaged pop culture communities (fan fiction and goth ‘culture’), ‘Sunbathe in Darkness’ is able to both lampoon and elevate its subject matter, using the desire to laugh as a way to disarm the audience while delivering a powerful and contrasting moment of trauma.
