MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS // A FILM REVIEW OF “SUNFISH (AND OTHER STORIES ON GREEN LAKE)”
BY MATEO MORENO
Sometimes a film will come into your life and just feel like a ray of sunshine, a dab of happiness and a cozy evening stroll all at the same time. That movie currently is SUNFISH (AND OTHER STORIES ON GREEN LAKE). A selection at this years Sundance Film Festival, this anthology style film all unfolds around one Michigan lake called Green Lake and delves into the tales of the people within. The writer and director Sierra Falconer has crafted a lovely slice of film that feels both new and nostalgic all at the same time. The characters don’t necessarily ever cross paths but instead they are connected by a feeling, a feeling of discovery and that kind of memory that even while you’re in it you know you’ll never have a day like this again. The first story, and arguably the strongest in my opinion, stars Mauren Heary as a 14-year-old girl named Lu who is being forced to spend her summer with her Grandparents that she doesn’t know well. Her mother, who just got married, drops her off there and heads off to her honeymoon. She’s annoyed that she has to be there and even takes out her anger for her mother on some ducks. However, after exploring around her grandparents house, she discovers her grandfathers sailboat and suddenly, something inside of her opens up.
The second story follows Jun (Jim Kaplan), a young music prodigy who has trouble connecting with others his age. His mother is the kind of mother who lives through their child and doesn’t see that the child, even though gifted, is screaming to be allowed to follow his own path. But he’s forced into following hers and making her goal of him getting “first chair” the ultimate summer prize. He practices until he bleeds, literally. The third story is a bit different, the kind of story you hear in a bar and you think, “No way is that completely true.” And the main character in this one is a young woman who overhears a seemingly tale tale in a bar and needs to be part of it. The final tale spun is a story of two sisters spending their final summer together before the older one is whisked away to college, yet neither of them admit that the final day is fast approaching. Landing squarely in the “dramedy” category and nailing the drama without ever being overdramatic and hitting the comedy at all the subtle right notes, thanks to a splendid cast and some wonderful direction. Sunfish (and other stories on Green Lake) is a small bit of a film that leads a much bigger impression on you. The kind that stays with you wistfully, like a sweet summer memory.
GRADE: A-
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Sierra Falconer STARRING Mauren Heary, Jim Kaplan, Adam LeFevre, Marceline Hugot, Karen Liotta, Dominic Bogart, Tenley Kellogg, Emily Hall. NOW AVAILABLE ON DEMAND.