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鈥淟iving in Parkdale, you鈥檙e constantly aware of the ways people are watching,鈥� says Kyirong, who was born in Vancouver but is very familiar with Toronto鈥檚 west end, having visited family members there as a teen and corresponded online with other Tibetan residents.

鈥淲hether it鈥檚 in apartment blocks with windows facing each other, or just the small intimacies of daily life in close quarters, that naturally carries a sense of voyeurism, and I wanted to lean into that.”

Working with cinematographer Nikolay Michaylov, a talented veteran of Toronto鈥檚 contemporary independent filmmaking scene, Kyirong devised a sophisticated visual style that transformed the neighborhood鈥檚 architecture into a character in its own right.

鈥淎 huge part of our shooting聽philosophy involved shooting through things,鈥� she says. 鈥淧eople, windows, mirrors and doorways, often inspired by objects and layouts that were already present in some of the apartments. This not only created a sense of emotional distance but also heightened the feeling of voyeurism.鈥�

Given the story鈥檚 myriad motifs of peeping, Kyirong admits that Alfred Hitchcock鈥檚 classic “Rear Window” was on her mind, but adds that she doesn鈥檛 see her film as a thriller per se.

鈥淭he suspense comes less from plot twists and more from that tension of looking, of what鈥檚 revealed and what remains hidden,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚nstead of a single mystery, the ‘mystery’ here is really the fabric of the community itself.鈥�

It鈥檚 the paradoxical aspects of that fabric 鈥� simultaneously tightly knit and fraying around the edges 鈥� that gives “100 Sunset” its rich and enveloping sense of texture. The plot hinges significantly on a rotating communal credit system known as dhikuti, in which individual participants receive rotating monthly payouts from a group pot. Here, solidarity and resentment become two sides of the same coin.

鈥淲hen I first learned about dhikuti, I was fascinated by it,鈥� says Kyirong. 鈥淓specially how deeply it relies on trust. The more people involved, the larger the pool of money. There鈥檚 no safety net if someone disappears with an early payout.鈥�

Kyirong cast “100 Sunset” with non-professional actors drawn from the neighbourhood. Kunsel is the daughter of the friend of a crew member, and Kyriong met Choekyi while the latter was working as a server at a local Tibetan restaurant.

鈥淚 worked with the two (leads) separately for some time before introducing them to each other,鈥� says Kyirong. “I don鈥檛 want to embarrass them too much, but their personalities are actually quite similar to those of their characters. I was writing and rewriting the script throughout this process, so I was able to lean into their personalities. Kunsel was very shy, sometimes wouldn鈥檛 talk at all. Sonam was bubbly, I think maybe her openness made Kunsel uncomfortable at times.鈥�

The dynamic works perfectly onscreen. At once precise and suggestive, “100 Sunset” vibrates on dual frequencies of intimacy and unease that make it one of the most accomplished Canadian debuts in recent memory.