Quirky dramedies can be an absolute delight. Especially when the actor or actress in the lead role can react properly to the quirk on display, the possibilities for quality cinema are strong. Independent cinema is littered with examples of this. Unfortunately, the indie film world is also filled with efforts that just don’t work, allowing the quirk to overtake the actual story on display. Opening today, The Sunlit Night is sadly closer to that sort of a production than one that fully works. A solid performance in the central role from Jenny Slate does paper over some of the issues, but the final result is just too uneven to actually recommend. The movie is a dramedy that eventually develops into a romance. Frances (Slate) is an aspiring painter struggling to make it in New York City. Her parents (both working artists) and sister live in a small apartment in Queens, rarely making her feel better about her life. After a breakup and a rejection for a prestigious internship, she jumps at the chance for an assignment to a remote part of Norway, just to get away from it all. Plus, she hopes the experience will reinvigorate her work and expand her horizons a bit. The village is full of odd characters, including her artist boss Nils (Fridtjov Såheim), but she meets a fellow New Yorker in Yasha (Alex Sharp). Sadly, he’s there to set up a proper Viking funeral for his father, but quickly learns that the Chief (Zach Galifianakis) in the village is just a re-enactor from Cincinnati. As they bond, Frances starts to find some inspiration, leading not just to a potential romance, but also some new artistic life, as well. David Wnendt directs a screenplay by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight, based on her own novel (Wnendt also contributed some additional writing). Martin Ahlgren handles the cinematography, while the score is by Enis Rotthoff. Supporting players here include Gillian Anderson, Jessica Hecht, David Paymer, and more. Jenny Slate does what she can here, and her reactions to some of the weirder moments on display can be amusing, but her character is just too underwritten to make a difference. She breathes some life into Frances, but the script does not quite follow suite. Rebecca Dinerstein Knight (who did create the character in her novel, after all) David Wnendt simply seem to think that quirkiness and moments of silence will fill […]