Sunnies is a short film that sets out to tackle themes of domestic violence from a child's perspective.

Directed by Ismail 'Izzy' Khan who has Wailwan and Pakistani heritage, the film recently screened at festivals in Australia, including Cinefest Oz.

Sunnies centres around a young troubled boy named Malcolm, who is put into a position no child should ever be in.

Malcolm starts off as delinquent teen, roaming around his neighbourhood with two things on his mind; steal some sunglasses from his local shops and make it look obvious.

Malcolm played by Malaki Williams

From the moment Malcolm appears on the screen he grabs your attention by aggressively pushing a trolly into the poles in the alley way, which is quite the first impression.

Upon entering the pharmacy, Malcolm scouts the store for sunglasses, while the pharmacist's attention latches on to Malcolm, something he is aware of.

Once Malcolm succeeds in his plan of stealing the sunglasses, he makes a run for it back home, while the angry pharmacist calls the police.

At home Malcolm seems to be a lot more quiet than he was at the beginning of the film.

He went from making a ruckus in the streets to now tip-toeing around his sleeping father.

It's when you see Malcolm quietly pull out a magnifying glasses and aim it at his sleeping father, that you get the impression of an estranged relationship.

This is when the story starts to reveal itself.

The moment Malcolm's mother appears on screen wearing sunglasses inside is when the theme and message is introduced and the audience can start to put the pieces together like a small puzzle.

There are a few lesson to be learnt from Sunnies and Malcolm's story, that can hit too close to home for some viewers.

One is that you should never judge a child, as you may never know what their home life is like.

Two: Indigenous women are more likely to experience domestic violence.

Malaki Williams, Brenden Dodds and Sara Khan performances felt real and raw.

Sunnies is a great example of a simple story that has a powerful message to it, where audiences can walk away feeling educated, seen and heard.

Sunnies

Directed by: Ismail Khan

Staring: Malaki Williams, Brenden Dodds, Sara Khan

Stars: 4/5