Films for Breakfast

It’s hard to think of many tropes throughout cinematic history as tried and true as the “love triangle.” It extends from silent films through classic Hollywood, the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s, and all the way to the present. When done right, it can be the peak of melodrama, inherently creating dramatic tension and mystery within a whirlwind of human emotion and romance.

And yet, director Joe Swanberg (mostly known for his mumblecore style of filmmaking) is perhaps the perfect filmmaker to tackle the idea of a love triangle nowadays. With The Sun Never Sets, he has crafted something that feels almost like an antithesis to what these stories so often are.

The Sun Never Sets follows Wendy (Dakota Fanning), a woman in her early thirties who has settled into a relationship with an older, divorced man named Jack (Jake Johnson). Despite their roughly 10-year age difference, they seem to be deeply in love with one another. Better yet, Wendy has completely meshed into Jack’s life, building a solid relationship with his kids, while Jack has similarly formed a close relationship with Wendy’s friends.

The film kicks its drama into high gear when Jack suggests that Wendy should spend some time figuring out whether she truly wants to be with him, rather than someone closer to her own age with whom she could start a family. During her exploration of life away from Jack, her ex-boyfriend Chuck (Cory Michael Smith) comes back into the picture, naturally making things a whole lot more complicated.

Perhaps the most interesting thing Swanberg does with this story is simply refuse to deliver on what one would traditionally expect from a film about a love triangle. Admirably, his film lingers in the hurt that comes from exploring your options. It puts the human condition on full display; instead of grand displays of affection, jealousy, or lust, Swanberg makes everything feel much more grounded and realistic.

Dakota Fanning is really excellent here as Wendy, which is especially nice considering she doesn’t get a lot of leading roles these days that allow her to show off her acting chops. She carries the weight of Swanberg’s screenplay beautifully, and paired with his naturalistic style, she finds a tremendous amount of humanity underneath Wendy’s complicated emotions – not only toward both men, but toward the confusion that comes with navigating life in your early 30s. There’s something painfully recognizable about hardly knowing what you want or who you want when everyone around you seems to be getting married, having kids, and buying houses.

I also quite enjoyed the supporting performances across the board. Jake Johnson is always a great dramatic actor when he’s given the opportunity (2017’s Win It All, also directed by Swanberg, is an excellent example) and he really nails the quiet yearning and simultaneous immaturity and sweetness of Jack. There are certain things his character does that, frankly, infuriated me, but Swanberg’s screenplay makes these characters deliberately complicated and messy in a way that feels true to life.

This feels especially true of Wendy’s relationship with her ex-boyfriend Chuck. As an audience member, you’re left wondering whether you should be rooting for Wendy to find her way back to Jack or whether you should be curious to see what else might be out there for her. When Chuck enters the mix, the chemistry between him and Wendy is palpable from the moment they reconnect. This is where Swanberg’s naturalism becomes one of the film’s greatest strengths, as all of the shared history between them (whether explicitly mentioned or simply implied in passing) feels completely lived-in.

If The Sun Never Sets has any major issues, it’s simply that the film naturally sets a limited ceiling for itself. This is an honest exploration of a woman navigating an identity crisis while being thrown into an emotional and romantic whirlwind. It doesn’t necessarily make room to become something you haven’t seen before; in doing so, Swanberg ultimately crafts a fairly traditional, albeit emotionally stirring, drama that is satisfying by the end, even if it isn’t wholly unique.

It’s also hard to say whether the character dynamics themselves have faults. As I previously mentioned, there are plenty of things these characters do that infuriated me. But I can also appreciate the way Swanberg writes them as fallible, flawed people who are simply trying their best, naturally making mistakes and hurting one another along the way. It doesn’t always make for the easiest film to watch, but it makes for something perhaps more honest than you’d expect from a story built around such a familiar romantic premise.

By the end, The Sun Never Sets is an emotionally resonant and finely directed drama, elevated by standout performances from its leads and supporting cast alike. From the gorgeous cinematography and 35mm photography by DP Eon Mora to Swanberg’s steady direction and humanistic writing, this is a deeply lively and beautiful film that, while not exactly turning over a new leaf for the genre, still does more than enough to satisfy.