The quintessential Sundance experience is incomplete without a teardrop inducing teenage drama. This genre has given us captivating movies that dive deep into familiar territories, delivering emotionally rewarding narratives, such as Megan Park’s acclaimed “My Old Ass”. Alas, Laura Chinn’s US Dramatic Competition contender “Suncoast” fails to leave a similar mark and rather falls into the category of forgettable teenage movies, lacking significant character growth and thematic depth.
The plot revolves around the life of young Doris, an endearing character played by Nico Parker, seen previously in “The Last of Us”. Doris grapples with the complexities of a challenging home environment marred by her brother Max’s (portrayed by Cree Kawa) terminal illness and her strong-willed yet overwrought mother Kristine, played by Laura Linney. Doris, a sensible and amiable teenager, seems oblivious to her appealing qualities as she lives in the shadow of her brother's severe health condition. As Max’s health takes a downturn, the family transitions him to a hospice, setting the scene for Doris's serendipitous encounter with Woody Harrelson, an activist named Paul Warren, connected with the focal right-to-die case of Terri Schiavo.
Unfortunately, the scripted relationship between Doris and Paul, coupled with their gradual friendship, lacks authentic emotions and much-needed depth. However, Chinn successfully captures Doris’s emerging assertiveness as she starts hosting parties during her mother’s frequent absences, thus attracting an entirely new group of friends to her seemingly invisible existence, a rather unlikely premise considering Doris's innately amicable personality.
As the narrative unfolds, Chinn attempts to subvert audience expectations about Doris's new friends, who initially appear to exploit her situation, revealing their supportive nature when Doris needs them the most. Despite this, the film falls short in carving out a cohesive emotional heart, bouncing inconsistently between the hospice narrative, Doris's new social life, Kristine’s anguish, and the inconsistent portrayal of Paul and Doris's relationship.
The fluctuating presence of Paul, who fades in and out of the storyline conveniently, intensifies the movie’s feeling of unfulfilled potential. The shallow narrative touch Chinn applies to these interwoven threads prevents the story from reaching its depths while Kristine's character yearns for more substantial development.
Also questionable is the film’s vague addressing of racial dynamics, namely Kristine being a white mother to a Black daughter. Despite these narrative pitfalls, Chinn’s depiction of Doris gradually prioritizing herself holds merit. Doris’s pivotal decision to attend her prom amidst a crucial phase in Max’s illness marks an adult-like acceptance of consequences.
Unfortunately, despite wrapping up with a neat reconciliation note, “Suncoast” leaves a palpable sense of underachievement and the yearning for the film to stretch beyond its diluted, Disney-like portrayal. “Suncoast” debuts on Hulu on February 9th after its premier at the Sundance Film Festival.
