Joey Magidson
It’s kind of surprising how much of a feel good movie that Suncoast ends up being. When you realize what it’s actually about, it sounds way more like a melodrama than a coming of age story. At the same time, that kind of task is what a good Sundance Film Festival title can do. While this movie isn’t quite as good as it could be, it does manage to succeed in a way that sneaks up on you.
Suncoast navigates some tricky territory, all while having a mostly consistent tone. One character is a bit bigger than everyone else, but it’s not particularly an impediment to enjoyment. If it never manages to level up into something more memorable, it still does so much more right than it does wrong. That counts for something, especially at a festival.
Working off of the filmmaker’s real life experiences, we’re introduced to teenager Doris (Nico Parker), who doesn’t have the normal teen life. She’s living with her strong-willed mother Kristine (Laura Linney), who has her caring for her severely disabled brother Max (Cree Kawa). The decision has been made recently to move Max a specialized facility, which Kristine is struggling with. Doris thinks it might ease her own burden, but the move is about to be intertwined with one of the landmark medical cases in recent history.
At the facility, Doris meets and strikes up a friendship with eccentric activist Paul Warren (Woody Harrelson), who is one of the protestors surrounding the building. Why are they there? Well, this is the location where Terri Schiavo is being cared for, right as her husband is entwined in legal dealings that would allow him to end her life, following her wishes, according to him. As that grows in notoriety, Doris bonds with Paul, while Kristine continues to lose it while not fully preparing to lose her son.
Young Nico Parker is very good here, turning in mellow work opposite a manic Laura Linney. Parker is compelling in a nature way, while Linney is mostly enjoyable, though occasionally she comes off as too much. As for Woody Harrelson, it’s the type of role he can do in his sleep, but he does nail exactly what he’s supposed to be doing. Supporting players, in addition to Cree Kawa, include Amarr, Ella Anderson, Ariel Martin, Daniella Taylor, Matt Walsh, and more.
Filmmaker Laura Chinn takes her childhood experience and makes an interesting little film about it. You do wonder if she’s going to get funnier or more dramatic as things progress, but she continues to walk that line. The main flaw here is that the pacing is a bit slack, while some of Linney’s scenes seem a bit out of place. Aside from that, this will leave you very curious to see what Chinn does next.
Suncoast didn’t blow me away, but it does much more right than it does wrong. It’s very much a Sundance movie, which some mean as a pejorative, but I think is just indicative of the type of film you’re watching. It may not become an awards player or anything like that, but it’s a nice little flick that will certainly connect with a lot of people who watch it.
SCORE: ★★★
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