Films for Breakfast

Set in 2005 when the TVs were small, pop songs were dominating the radio, tabloids were telling us about the latest celebrity break-up, and smart phones were yet to explode into our lives we find Suncoast; a film that takes place in Clearwater, Florida and follows Doris (Nico Parker), who is a socially awkward teenager at the incredibly formative age of 15 yet is confined to not having many formative experiences with her peers. Doris spends a majority of her time taking care of her sick brother Max (Cree Kawa) as she tries to relieve their overwhelmed mother Kristine (Laura Linney) as they try to transition Max into Suncoast Hospice, where they plan for him to live out his last few months. 

A lot of the best dramas and especially coming-of-age films are hyper-specific and often draw from very personal and real experiences from the filmmaker(s) involved. In the case of Suncoast, director Laura Chinn creates a semi-autobiographical debut that feels so authentic and warm as it so evidently pulls from the very real pain and love in her life. From the moment the film begins, you can immediately connect and empathize with the very specific and difficult dilemma Doris finds herself in – stuck between wanting to experience all of these formative moments happening around her with kids her own age while also trying to appease her mother and being attentive to her brother before he passes away. This dynamic is the heart and soul of the film, and thankfully Laura Chinn does a great job at letting the film pull its punches so it doesn’t feel overly melodramatic. 

Another big positive for the film is a subplot between Doris and Paul (Woody Harrelson), a protestor at her brothers’ hospital as he is still grieving from the loss of his wife. The two serve as an unlikely duo, but the film gets a lot of mileage out of their chemistry with one-another. One of the best scenes in the film features Paul explaining to Doris that everything she thinks she hates about her current situation she will come to miss in hindsight, as weird as it sounds. And from that point forward, the film beautifully articulates such a melancholic tone about preparing for an inevitable death and trying to come to terms with a loss before it even happens. This is easily one of Harrelson’s best performances in years, as he has a lot to work with dramatically and lays it all on the line with humanity and authenticity. 

Laura Linney is also giving a really solid performance here as Doris’ mother Kristine, stuck with the impossible task of caring for her son who she knows has very limited time left and is ultimately stuck with trying to make his death as comfortable as it can be and that she is by his side as it happens. Linney is no stranger to playing characters with this kind of heavy baggage, but she finds a lot of nuance within Kristine. Both Linney and Harrelson’s performances are only amplified by Nico Parker’s performance, which is absolutely devastating and supremely charming in equal measure. Parker’s performance wisely finds a beautiful middle ground between keeping a lot of the emotion of her situation reserved until the drama truly hits in the latter half, and she finds a way to exhibit it both powerfully and subtly. This isn’t Nico’s first performance, but it’s one that makes you remember her name.

There are moments where the film does feel a bit overly fluffy and that it isn’t entirely tapping into its full potential for such powerful and mature themes and ideas, but on the flip-side, it feels like it navigates these complex emotions and situations in the same way a teenager would. When it comes to tear-jerking films, a lot of the time whether or not it works solely depends on restraint and execution – Suncoast never feels like it is simply trying to get you to cry, but instead tells a nuanced and emotionally charged story that puts it characters and emotion on the forefront. All of this is anchored by exceptional performances across the board and a confident debut from Laura Chinn.

4/5