‘The Sun Never Sets’ review: A shining, grounded romantic drama

Dakota Fanning is torn between an older, steady boyfriend and a charming, unstable ex in the Alaska-set drama The Sun Never Sets.

The Sun Never Sets, the latest film by mumblecore’s signature director, Joe Swanberg, is a tale of a complicated love triangle. Uncontrived, straightforward, and innately human, it’s a gently moving piece about figuring out what you want.

Wendy (Dakota Fanning) lives in Anchorage, Alaska, and is two years into a relationship with Jack (Jake Johnson), a divorced dad of two. Though Wendy’s become a fixture of his children’s lives, Jack is adamant he doesn’t want more kids. Wendy gave up her initial dream of having children to be with Jack. But after Wendy’s best friend (Debby Ryan) announces she’s pregnant, Wendy realizes her whole friend group is starting new chapters of their lives without her.

After a string of unsatisfying dates, Wendy has a chance encounter with her ex, Chuck (Cory Michael Smith). Having left Alaska after splitting up with Wendy, Chuck’s back in town to start an air taxi business. And just as Wendy begins to envision a future with Chuck again, despite his financial instability and his unwillingness to hang out with her friends, Jack slides back into the picture, insisting he’s changed.

A complicated love triangle.

Writer/director Swanberg dives right into the drama, wasting no time in setting up Wendy’s inner conflict. She’s living a life she’s pretty content in, but gave up a major goal to attain it. Jack, sensing Wendy’s unease, suggests they take a break in case Wendy finds someone who does want kids. Wendy’s devastated, having ingrained herself into Jack’s family life, but reluctantly agrees to the break.

Photo Credit: Independent Film Company

A complicated love triangle is only as good as the people at the heart of it. Fanning, Johnson, and Smith, wonderful mainstays of both major productions and intimate dramas, are a vividly-imagined trio. Their characters’ wishy-washiness is so painfully human, so frustratingly real that it’s gripping. Fanning is especially strong, as Wendy’s current desires and plans for the future collide, creating relatable inner turmoil.

Beautiful performances amid beautiful scenery.

The imperfect natures of the trio are gorgeously offset by Eon Mora‘s cinematography, capturing the Alaskan landscape as a place for possibility. Wendy’s a keen outdoorswoman who can’t get Jack to go camping, but the wilderness in the where she and Chuck reconnect. The remoteness of the location emphasizes the isolation each character experiences, too. Chuck previously scorned air taxis as a business, not wanting to ferry tourists around Anchorage, even though it’s Alaska’s biggest city.

Swanberg came up as a pioneer of the mumblecore genre, and The Sun Never Sets demonstrates what mumblecore hallmarks can look like on a slightly higher budget. The sleekness of the cinematography is a highlight, but the characters’ impeccably clean, clutter-free homes are distractingly ungrounded. It’s a stark contrast to Swanberg’s naturalistic style as a writer; he’s known for letting actors improvise to create realistic dialogue. The clean, sharp imagery feels like a stark contrast to the heart of the piece. But it’s a nitpick criticism in an otherwise engaging film.

The bottom line.

The trappings of traditional, overwrought romantic dramas are, refreshingly, not here. There are no contrived, eleventh-hour complications, no excessive twists and turns. The Sun Never Sets‘ conflict comes solely from its characters’ inabilities to decide what they want, and the consequences that come from making decisions. For audiences drawn to character-driven, talky dramas, it’s a worthy entry in the genre. What a wonderful thing, to have directors, writers, and actors still interested in the human conflicts that drive us, and the hearts at the center of it all.

The Sun Never Sets hits select cinemas on Friday, August 28. Watch the trailer below.

Images courtesy of Independent Film Company.

Claire Di Maio

Claire was once asked in elementary school why her go-to question was always, “Watch anything good lately?” It’s still her go-to question, because she loves hearing what other people are passionate about. She often sacrifices sleep in the hopes that she will one day clear her to-watch and to-read lists (a futile effort so far).