At its core, “Suncoast,” written and directed by Laura Chinn, is an extremely moving and at times difficult film to watch. It manages to tell both coming of age and familial loss narratives simultaneously. As young Doris follows the narrative, we are introduced to a cast of characters who either know they are going to lose someone or have already done so. If you have experienced loss, brace yourself to shed at least one tear, probably two because “Suncoast” does an uncomfortably great job of portraying emptiness. Everything about the film, from the acting to the dialogues, is pleasing. You do not have to go to the cinema; Suncoast is currently available on Hulu.
Back of the DVD Summary: The character Doris as enacted by Nico Parker as witness all sorts of dilemmas involving her brother who is nearing death and a mother Kristine (Laura Linney) who seems like she will break any moment. Doris’ brother is suffering from a brain tumor, it’s advanced, he can’t talk or move anymore and this health condition places tremendous pressure on the family unit. Kristine being unable to do this any longer makes the difficult decision of bringing her son to a hospice unit, a place called Suncoast. It’s here Doris meets Paul (Woody Harrelson) and through their plight, Doris is quickly able to develop a friendship with him.
The authenticity of the characterizations and the dialogue is such that both the Fiore and Borchert seemed to be portraying real people which made an otherwise awkward situation comical. No one gives long, drawn out speeches of anguish in a narrative focused solely on loss, but there are pregnant pauses, and people stutter. There is the unease of the situations the characters are placed in, and it is commendable that the filmmakers allow this point to come across on screen and refrain from soft gauging the drama. Such moments do exist, but those are intentional and never interfere with the dramatic or the authentic, grating moments.
In addition, I liked that the movie did not portray anyone negatively for their actions. For example, Kristine is a wreck, constantly stressed and jittery because she is on her own trying to keep one child alive and the other one is dying. Whenever she bursts out rudely or throws tantrums for any reason, she struggles and we, the audience, can relate and sympathize with her sternness instead of vilifying her. Even in the instances that appear to be the lowest, where one child seems to be the only child she behaves like she has, it has to be seen in context. It is because one of them is, pertinently, always the other one being the focus of her majority. Similar can be said of Doris who is a teenage school girl trying to fit in a new school with new friends while in the shadows of her brother being sick and trying to create an identity of her own. All that she seeks is to be just a ‘normal’ girl and the reasons behind some of her selfish choices are quite reasonable as she is used to monotony and wants a normal lifestyle and nothing else.
Even the character of Paul can be interpreted as a strange old man who wishes to engage younger girls too much but as the story unfolds, he turns into nothing more than a thoughtless friend to some of the heroes. He is never invasive nor does he have any stalker tendencies; rather, he is always jovial and provides much comic relief in the movie. I believe his absence makes for a lesser film, for his character is what Bebe and Kristine look forward to. He is already gone, gone through what awaits them and the experience has overcome him.
As a whole, the film “Suncoast” has a very engaging plot and is very rich in development relationships. As to the cinematography, there was always some hint of more or less vivid color in every shot which infused the picture with optimism. The strongest element of the film is the actors’ playing, in particular the actress Nico Parker as Doris. A lot of emotional bits are required from her and she gives them the realistic and the raw feel.
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