Creative people often mine their tragedies, traumas, and experiences to create art. Laura Chinn’s directorial debut, Suncoast, is an emotional and funny coming-of-age drama-comedy about a teenage girl balancing caring for her dying brother with her social and sexual awakening. The film is based mainly on Chinn’s experiences growing up in the 90s and helping her parents care for an ailing sibling. This autobiographical touch adds a level of melancholy that will allow the film to resonate with many viewers emotionally.
Doris (Nico Parker) is a thoughtful, caring, and shy teenager who spends her days sitting quietly in the back of the class at school and assisting her mother, Kristine (Laura Linney), with caring for her bedridden, unresponsive brother, Max (Cree Kawa). Max is dying, and Kristine is determined to make his last days peaceful and ensure he’s surrounded by the love of his mother and sister. However, Kristine neglects the fact that Doris is a teenager on the verge of finding herself and her place in the world. When Doris begins to befriend a group of popular kids at her school, she gets her first taste of freedom. A burgeoning friendship with Paul (Woody Harrelson) also helps her come to profound and complex realizations about herself and her life.
Suncoast is a deeply moving film about growing up, maturing before one’s time due to unfortunate family circumstances, and the circumstances that lead to great self-discovery. Nico Parker’s portrayal of Doris is full of vulnerability and sweetness, and you want nothing more than to protect her at all costs. Doris loves her brother and has fond memories of life before he was sick, but she doesn’t want to spend her high school years caring for her ailing sibling. While it makes the character extremely selfish and unlikeable from a storytelling perspective, audiences will sympathize with the fact that having to grow up early has left Doris with unexpressed teenage rebellion and resentment that’s bubbling right beneath the surface. Her mother, played deftly by Laura Linney, ignores the fact that her daughter has normal teenage feelings that need attention. It’s understandable given the circumstances, and both actresses have such a well-balanced dynamic with each other in these roles. Parker is a young actress to watch.
Laura Linney’s portrayal of Kristine, a devoted mother who is haggard and worn out, is convincing and authentic. There is a subtle melancholy that lingers around the character as she struggles to ensure that her terminally ill son is as comfortable as possible during his final days and to provide shelter for her daughter Doris. Regrettably, she becomes too preoccupied with her son’s needs and neglects her daughter. Linney’s performance is profoundly moving, and it is difficult to blame her character entirely for her shortcomings. Given the circumstances that Kristine is in, her actions are understandable, even if they are sometimes frustrating and appear illogical.
Woody Harrelson’s Paul is a father figure who walks into Doris’s life at random one day but significantly impacts her journey of self-discovery. Initially, viewers will be skeptical of Paul and his intentions. He doesn’t give off the impression that he would ever hurt Doris intentionally. However, he’s a protester at the hospital daily, protesting for his beliefs. He teaches Doris to come to her conclusions and to stand up for herself and what she thinks. Harrelson is perfectly utilized here, and the film is all the better for his inclusion.
Doris’s friend group, which consists of Laci (Daniella Taylor), Brittany (Ella Anderson), Nate (Amarr), and Megan (Ariel Martin), is a welcome presence in the film as well. Although they don’t get much development, they serve as an escape from Doris’s tumultuous family life. A lesser film would have had them turn on Doris at some point, however, the narrative wisely subverts this by doubling down on how much they love and support our main character. It’s one of the most heartwarming parts of the film and reminds viewers that even when teen characters are written as carefree hedonists, there is room to add depth when it pertains to their devotion to their friends.
Again, the film draws heavily from the director, Laura Chinn’s personal life as she grew up in the 2000s. Like Doris, she had a brother during his teenage years. There is a deep emotional connection and genuineness that permeates the film. Chinn’s ability to mine her pain to inject a sense of reality into her story is admirable.
The story of Terry Schiavo, a woman whose status of being in a vegetative state brought forth a national conversation about the quality of life for the ailing, plays out in the background of this film. Coincidentally, Doris’s brother is at the same nursing home facility as Schiavo. Although the purpose of including Schiavo’s story is understandable, It may leave some viewers feeling a little conflicted – slightly
Overall, Suncoast is a beautiful, heartfelt, and moving coming-of-age film that tackles difficult issues. It’s an astounding directorial debut from a writer-director who is sure to continue to do great things.
Suncoast had its World Premiere in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film is currently available to stream exclusively on Hulu courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.
Director: Laura Chinn
Writer: Laura Chinn
Rated: R
Runtime: 109m
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGPvdj3H_0o]
Overall, Suncoast is a beautiful, heartfelt, and moving coming-of-age film that tackles difficult issues. It's an astounding directorial debut from a writer-director who is sure to continue to do great things.
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Writer. Video Essayist. Film/TV Critic. Pop Culture Enthusiast.
When he isn’t writing for Geek Vibes Nation or The Cinema Spot, Tristian can be found typing away at one of the novels or screenplays he’s been working on forever.
