Longtime television actor Blake Robbins makes his directorial debut with a bold voice. His first film The Sublime and Beautiful is an intensely emotional ride. Robbins also stars in the film as the lead, a father dealing with the all-consuming grief of his children’s untimely death. The family lives in a small suburban town and Robbins paints their bleak life beautifully. I say bleak because, anything in Sublime that could otherwise be characterized as quaint is ultimately darkened by the overwhelming score. From the film’s outset, the score sets a tone of dread that rarely lets up. This makes for an interesting emotional dynamic in the beginning scenes where life appears normal and almost sweet; a choice that deviates from dramatic tropes and is questionable in its payoff.

While the film is decidedly heavy all the way through, it is not without emotional range. Robbins’ character, David Conrad, is a high school teacher, unhappy in his marriage and his life. He’s out doing unseemly things while his wife and kids are struck by a drunk driver on their way home from trimming the tree with Conrad’s parents. The wife, played by Laura Kirk, is the only survivor. It seems almost frivolous to say that this worsens things in their marriage.

After the incident, the delicate structure of an already unhappy life unravels completely. And this is where the film really shines. Conrad’s morals are debatable throughout, making the sympathy we feel for him well-earned. Robbins delves deep into the emotional turmoil of his character, exploring the dark crevices of tragedy. The film, and the score, do not let up until the very end when a (by this point) harrowed audience will be surprised by an uplifting message of forgiveness found in unexpected places. The Sublime and Beautiful may not be a film for family movie night, but it is a raw and honest portrait of grief, and well worth the watch.