Set in 2005, the directorial debut of Laura Chinn (Florida Girls) is a bit of a time capsule. Searchlight Pictures’ Suncoast is a semi-autobiographical film inspired by the writer/director’s teenage years, complete with the music, fashion, and headlines that dominated that era. It’s a bittersweet coming of age story about a girl whose life will remain outside of her control until her terminally ill brother passes away. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival ahead of its Hulu streaming release.
(Eric Zachanowich/Searchlight Pictures)
Doris (Nico Parker, Dumbo), spends all of her free time caring for her brother, who is essentially brain dead. Her single mother Kristine (Laura Linney, Ozark) is so laser focused on her brother’s care that Doris’ needs aren’t being met. So when Kristine makes the difficult decision to have her son live out his final days in a wellness facility called Suncoast, Doris finds herself with total autonomy… and without the gradual increase typically afforded to teenagers.
Having gone from a total lack of autonomy to having a house to herself 24/7, Doris turns an inch into a mile, attracting her first group of friends by turning her home into an anything goes party hot spot. Naturally, this makes it a little hard for Doris to sus out who is a genuine friend and who is just using her. Nico Parker navigates playing a shy teen who desperately wants to fit in with ease, and it’s easy to empathize with her situation right away. The actresses playing her new friends – Ariel Martin (ZOMBIES 3), Daniella Taylor (grown-ish), and Ella Anderson (Henry Danger) – help establish a realistic Catholic high school environment, which also adds to the theme of too many restrictions leading to excess.
The role of Kristine is one that could instantly become unlikable in less capable hands than Laura Linney. You can really feel her struggles as she fights to make her son’s final days as comfortable as possible. With blinders on, she often can’t see the problems she creates for herself, such as taking out her frustrations on Suncoast’s overly upbeat nurse Mia (Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Growing Fangs). The way she handles discovering how her singular focus has impacted her daughter is truly brilliant.
(Eric Zachanowich/Searchlight Pictures)
Playing somewhat of a guardian angel over the situation is Woody Harrelson (Solo: A Star Wars Story) as Paul, an eccentric activist who joins an ever-present crowd of protesters outside Suncoast. As the group advocates for Terri Schiavo to remain on life support (a story directly from the headlines), Paul ends up botning with Doris, filling in some of the parental-figure gaps. He also becomes a source of comfort for Kristine… when she lets him in, of course.
The poignant theme that viewers takeaway from Suncoast is about the quality of life vs death. As protesters outside the care center fight for a human vegetable to remain on life support, we see theis mother and daughter whose lives have been completely upended while they wait for their dear one to pass on. As depressing as that sounds, Laura Chinn finds opportunities to showcase moments of optimism and even joy for the characters. I imagine Suncoast will be a real source of comfort for people who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
I give Suncoast 4 out of 5 Abercrombie & Fitch tops.
Suncoast will be available to stream on Hulu beginning Friday, February 9th.