Suncoast is one of those movies that it isn’t until the very end that you realize what this entire movie is about. In a way, it’s a strength because it builds up on everything that happened throughout the film. But I could also see it as a weakness because there will be people who will stop watching this movie because of how frustrating it gets. And it’s not frustrating because of the acting. Nico Parker as Doris and Laura Linney as the mom Kristine are fantastic. Woody Harrelson is also there and the trailer tried to sell it like it was a huge part of the movie. But it kind of isn’t. Despite the trailer, this movie is about a young woman grieving her brother.
Right off the bat, I think this movie bamboozled me because I thought the grief was all about the mom. I thought it was about her and how she forgot that she had a daughter. Because this woman wouldn’t even greet her daughter when she came into the house or ask how her day was. There was just the parentification of a child which is abuse, plain and simple. And this is coming from someone who has experienced this parentification kind of style and who was the only support factor for my mother who was a single mother as well. The mom was grieving in Suncoast, but the fact that she turned her daughter into another parent for the son makes it abuse. And let me tell you I was super frustrated with the mom.
Every single time that I saw Parker on screen, I could see, first and foremost, that she is a talented young woman. I already knew it when she was on The Last of Us and she absolutely stole my heart as Joel’s daughter Sarah. But I feel like this movie was an opportunity for her to step out on her own and prove that she could emote curiosity, simmering rage, confusion, resentment, and just a whole multitude of emotions that made me instantly side with her. It also made me ride or die for Doris. I would have done anything for that girl and I was ready to create a machine and go into the movie and tell her mom to buzz off because she was destroying her child.
Suncoast was also surprising because I was ready for these big dramatic sweeping moments that you see in movies like this. But those moments didn’t happen. Instead, we got this slow and steady build-up that felt more close to real life than anything I have seen in a long time. Life isn’t about these big explosive moments all the time. It’s a buildup and I could see that with Doris. I saw her try to step out of herself and make friends. I saw her try new things while not losing herself to others. She was unapologetically Doris but willing to see what life offered her. And I think we need to see more of this when it comes to stories about teenagers because it’s always doom, gloom, and drugs. It’s like people forget how complex being a teenager is and resent teenagers for what they are now.
When the moment came for Doris to say goodbye to her brother, I thought that by the miracle of movie-making, she would get there on time. This was also at a point where I forgot that this was semi-autobiographical for the director and writer of this movie, Laura Chinn. But it didn’t happen. Doris didn’t get to say goodbye to her brother while he was alive. And it was heart-wrenching to watch everything pour out of Doris while she was standing there looking down at his dead body. Sometimes miracles don’t happen. Sometimes you don’t get there on time. And sometimes these messy emotions just pour out of you and the poor viewer at home bursts into tears because this actress is so damn talented. That’s what happened here.
When Doris started crying and blaming herself, saying that she should have been a better sister, my whole perspective on the movie changed. That’s especially true as well when the mom came to comfort her because I was so focused on how much I hated the mom that I didn’t see Doris clearly. And I think the point of the movie is just that. Her mother didn’t see her because she was so wrapped up in her grief. Harrelson’s character didn’t see her because he was so wrapped up in his beliefs. I as the viewer didn’t see Doris because I was so used to how Hollywood usually constructs stories like this and my problems with my mom painted who I focused on while watching this movie.
Suncoast is a movie about those who are left behind or those who are not seen. It’s about the secondary victims of loss and pain. And it’s about what you do when that person you love is also the person that you resent. And even though I was very iffy during the beginning of this movie (and the middle if I’m being honest) I’m grateful that I sat down and watched it. Because it made me go back and think about everything that I watched. It gave me a new perspective on the experience of the entire movie. And that right there is a skill. That right there is a director who knows how to weave a story together with the writing and a fantastic cast. And it makes me excited for whatever this director has next and for when Nico Parker takes her rightful seat on the throne of up-and-coming A-list Hollywood stars.
Suncoast is now available on Hulu.
I am still completely WRECKED after seeing it last night. I don’t think I slept well last night. I lost my sister about a year and a half ago and have been doing all of the things, therapy, journaling, crying, being a zombie, thinking I am getting better, but still an effing mess. That scene mirrored all you experienced for me and I could not believe it. I feel a lot of guilt that is really misguided, but real for me. What if I had taken her in, protected her more, gave her more money, etc. I regret not taking her on a trip for the two of us to the beach, so many things. Laura Linney is probably my favorite actress, but man she made me mad in that movie. Your review is great. I had to look up “Suncoast movie made me cry!” to see if there were others out there. Thank you!