Everyone can use a bit of escapism in their lives. Especially given the current state of the world. That’s why love stories in locations anywhere in the world other than the United States are so popular. When you watch a film or read a book about a different place, you learn pieces about the culture. But it also heightens the romance that much more. The Last Sunrise has all of that and more.
Set in Mallorca, a beautiful island in Spain, The Last Sunrise is about Oriah “Ry” Pera (Maia Reficco), a young American woman living with Tuberous Sclerosis, which is a rare genetic condition that causes invasive noncancerous tumors to grow in various parts of the body. One of the things it also causes is epilepsy. Because of this, Ry is on a very strict medication regimen.
All her life, Ry has been controlled and limited by her diagnosis as well as her rightfully overprotective mother, Isolde (Eva Longoria). When the two of them head to Mallorca for a new business venture her mom is working on, Ry vows to make the most of her trip. Part of making the most of the trip is not allowing her life to be ruled by her illness.
Ry wants to live life like a normal young adult on summer vacation. She refuses to be ruled by alarms reminding her to take her seizure medications. Unbeknownst to her mother, Ry decides to stop taking her seizure medications altogether. The thing is, Ry knows the risk of doing this. She knows that if she were to have a seizure that is severe enough, she could die. But in some ways, Ry seems to have made peace with this choice, which is why it’s important to her to experience as much life in Mallorca as possible.
When she meets local Julian (Fernando Lindez), he opens her eyes to a world of possibilities. She experiences life in new ways. There’s one scene where Ry hops onto the back of Julian’s motorbike. In that moment, you can feel how free she feels. The pills she takes make her feel like a zombie. When she’s on Julian’s bike, it’s as if she’s feeling everything all over again. It was a beautiful scene.
More: ‘The Last Sunrise’ Stars Maia Reficco and Fernando Lindez Talk Bringing Anna Todd’s Book To Life
Like the book, Ry doesn’t reveal her diagnosis to Julian. But I did feel some subtle lines in the script, like “I’m only here for a little while,” held so much weight as Ry said it. And I’m sure that’s because of Reficco, who brought a lot of vulnerability and strength to the character. She doesn’t play Ry in a way that makes you feel sorry for her. She showcases Ry’s frustration with her disease as well as the joy she feels when she decides to start living on her own terms.
Julian gives Ry something to live for. And the chemistry between Fernando and Maia makes us believe in and root for their love. Julian shows Ry everything Mallorca has to offer. Not just from a tourist’s eyes. Their days and nights are spent on the beach and on his fishing boat. Though this was Lindez’s first American film, you honestly wouldn’t know that. He plays Julian effortlessly, and he embodied the character I saw as I read Anna Todd’s book.
Speaking of the book, while The Last Sunrise does follow a lot of the major elements of Anna’s book, there are some deviations, which is understandable. We get glimpses of Julian and his father’s relationship. And there’s an element of danger thrown in as well with the creation of an additional character named Carlos.
Though I didn’t mind this, I felt in some ways it wasn’t fully fleshed out. I knew Carlos was dangerous, but his pop-ups sometimes took me out of the film. And some of the tension between him and Julian felt predictable. I honestly would have preferred more screen time between Julian and his father Matteo (Andrés Velencoso) because I don’t think there was enough interaction between the parents.
I enjoyed the scenes between Eva Longoria and Maia because the mother-daughter tension was there. And I thought the confrontation sequence was one of their most powerful moments in the film. That is where most of the drama lies. As for the element of Rys’ health, the pacing in some parts of the film didn’t really allow the viewer to sit with the weight of everything.
When Julian eventually learns about Rys’ diagnosis, the scenes seem to go by rather quickly. Because Ry’s climactic moment occurs so close to the end of the film, we don’t get a lot of those emotional beats between Julian and Ry. She fills him in on the procedure that could save her life but possibly take away her memories. However, I would’ve loved to have seen more conversations about this.
I think it would have also been nice to show more moments between Julian’s father, Matteo, and Ry’s mom. If you’ve read the book, you know there’s a history there that wasn’t fully explored in the film. Having that tension would have added something more to the gala scenes.
The biggest takeaway is that The Last Sunrise managed to tell an honest story about someone living with a chronic illness. And it was done in a way meant to bring hope to viewers. Not sadness throughout. And of course, the romance of it all with Ry and Julian reminds the audience that having a chronic illness shouldn’t hinder you from experiencing love. The film honors the source material, and fans of Anna Todd will fall in love with these characters just like they did when reading the book.
The Last Sunrise is available to stream on Prime Video.
