It’s been a rough time for smaller movies this year, with a number of audience-friendly films failing to find their audience amid Disney remakes and, er, Disney-owned superheroes.
Olivia Wilde’s excellent Booksmart and Support The Girls with Regina Hall were both intelligent, funny movies that deserved more of a shot. Based on the Young Adult novel by Nicola Yoon, The Sun Is Also A Star joined that list in May when it performed well below expectations.
So, were cinema-goers right to stay away, or did they miss out on a gem?
Yara Shahidi stars as Natasha, a student with a love for science and a pragmatic outlook on life. She believes in ‘observable fact, rational thought, pure science’. She certainly doesn’t believe in love, particularly as this is the day before she and her family are deported from their home in New York to Jamaica.
Desperate to stay, she searches for a way to appeal their case, and literally bumps into Daniel (Charles Melton), a poet who believes in fate, magic, and above all, love. Convinced they are meant to be together, he convinces her to spend the day with him in between her appointment and his college interview. However, the closer they become, the more uncertain their future seems.
‘What if I told you I could make you fall in love with me, scientifically?’ Daniel proposes to a skeptical Natasha.
As chat up lines go, it’s out there, but this is a story that isn’t afraid of a leap of logic.
Wrapped around our young lovers is the Starter Kit for any wistful Hollywood romance. We see an enormously romanticised New York, complete with a first meeting at (where else?) Grand Central Station. A philosophical subway driver underlines the film’s central notion, that what seems like misfortune may in fact be a moment of destiny.
A more grounded element is the topic of Natasha’s deportation.
The film asks questions about what it is to belong, and the plight of younger Americans being forced to return to a ‘home’ they may not even remember. It’s heavy stuff for a film of this genre, and while few answers are offered, Shahidi’s performance in the opening scenes packs an emotional punch.
There are certain narrative obstacles to get over.
The idea that Natasha would be remotely interested in getting to know a stranger with so much stake is hard to swallow, but hey – this is true love, Hollywood style, and the two stars make the improbable seem plausible.
Daniel’s boundless enthusiasm compliments Natasha’s intelligence, and while they seem utterly unsuited to begin with, the pair’s chemistry grows through some astrological symbolism, and a lot of Manhattan magic.
The Sun Is Also A Star has been praised for showcasing an American romantic drama with BAME leads that tells a different kind of love story, and it deserves those plaudits.
While a lot of the plot may stretch the boundaries of credibility, Shahidi and Melton give star-making performances that will make their next roles eagerly anticipated.
The Sun Is Also A Star is in UK cinemas 9 August.
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