Sunrise - Recap

In the Sangre De Cristo Mountains in New Mexico, a group of five students are on a GPS Internet treasure hunt. Amber takes video as the others find a stone box. However, it’s much older than they expected and Noah identifies it as Aztec. Eve finds a way to open it and Marty takes out an old pot with something inside. Eve opens it and they discover it contains liquid blood. Eve dips her finger in it and they wonder how it didn’t clot. Amber takes the pot and inadvertently spills the blood, and the light in the chamber starts to fade.

The group goes outside and discovers that despite the fact it’s not yet noon, the sun has seemingly disappeared.

Two hours later, the students listen to the radio as the newscasters talk about how the sun has disappeared and temperatures are dropping across the world. Marty explains that he’s been studying the box and insists that they’re responsible. The others don’t believe it and suggest they head back, and Marty warns that without the sun the Earth’s atmosphere will evaporate. However, he says that according to the pictographs there’s one way they can bring the sun back: make a human sacrifice.

The others think that Marty is insane, and he finds a knife in the box. Noah says they should wait and Eve says they need to start a fire and hold out. The others go outside and Eve admits to Marty that she doesn’t believe what they said.

The global death toll continues to rise thirteen hours later as the students huddle around their fire. Amber blames herself for spilling the blood. The next morning, the sun doesn’t rise and everyone begins to accept the truth. Eve says they have to consider the possibility of killing one among them. Wesley refuses to participate but the others ask how to pick a victim, while Amber wonders how they can live with themselves afterward. They suggest they draw odds and Amber convinces Wesley to participate. Noah takes the knife and dares them all to choose, but then collapses due to the cold. They realize they’re running out of time and have to choose.

They draw lots using four long and one short twig. It comes down to the two women, Amber and Eve. Amber draws… the short stick. She asks for a chance to write a goodbye note to her mother. Everyone hesitates, until Noah takes a rock and hits her in the head. Marty takes the knife and tells the others to help him. Amber begs them to stop but Marty takes the knife and delivers the final blow. He then places her blood in the pot and reburies it in the box. Wesley, who looked on as they killed his girlfriend, blames himself. Outside the cavern, the sun appears once more. They go outside and listen to the radio as the newscasters explain they went through a plasma cloud that temporarily dimmed the sun. They wonder if what they did was necessary.

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