"The Sun Is Also a Star" (2019) Review

A teen flick that is relevant and progressive for its time.

Directed by: Ry Russo-Young

Rated: PG-13

Runtime: 2:00

Review by: Livi Edmonson

Breakout stars, Yara Shahidi (Blackish) and Charles Melton (Riverdale) lead the latest teen melodrama, “The Sun Is Also a Star”: a film adapted from author, Nicola Yoon’s 2016 best-selling YA novel by the same name. The plot follows Daniel Bae (Melton) whose parents expect him to end up at Yale and then medical school after college. It also follows Natasha Kingsley (Shahidi), who is a Jamaica-born science nerd who happens to catch the eye of Daniel. The two end up being connected in a series of wild coincidences throughout the day as hopeless romantic Daniel tries to convince pragmatist Natasha to fall in love with him- in just a day, that is. 

The catch: Natasha’s family is on the verge of being deported the next morning unless her lawyer can fight to change it. The feelings, as expected, grow extremely strong between the two teenagers, making Natasha fight her departure even more fiercely. What the pair begins to discover is how one day can change absolutely everything--- especially when “destiny” is involved.

“The Sun Is Also a Star” is quite possibly one of the best films in the “teen” subgenre that I have seen in a very long time. It is intelligent, witty, and charming as all films in the genre should be. The script is mature, but not too mature for teens--- just more insightful in a sense. The reviews from other critics are quite mixed, for it is being compared to previous teen flicks that have a label of “soapy” and “predictable.” But I think if one were to not compare it to texts of the past, then they would find it to be refreshing and contemporary to its genre, especially because of the nonexistent lack of inclusivity.

The film’s stars, Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton, are perhaps the film’s prime money-makers because of the stars’ strong presence on social media, as well as the automatic niche audience that they bring to the table. Shahidi’s character, Natasha is elegant, yet relatable and serves her purpose as a strong female protagonist, while Melton’s character, Daniel, is so enchanting and charismatic that audiences will indeed fall in love with him in one day. Because these two actors are so well-liked by audiences that know of their previous work and/or brand, it makes the film itself even more enticing to the teens in the teen demographic that are already a huge part of the audience of the two leads. 

The dramedy is both a movie and a story that I personally think that audiences of all ages can enjoy. Although, if one is 13-years-old or younger, I would not recommend--- not necessarily because of the content, but more so because of the maturity of the ideas. The film’s plot obviously has a strong tie with coincidences and even shows parts of the philosophy and science behind said coincidences. Thus, some of this may go over younger audiences’ heads, whilst older audiences can enjoy the ideas and in-depthness of it all. 

All in all, “The Sun Is Also a Star” is a film for our time. The element of inclusiveness shown not only through its leading characters, but also throughout the entire plot and text, adds depth to the film and makes it feel ultimately real. The film takes place in New York City and so often, filmmakers will add a certain “whiteness” to romantic movies that take place in this city when in fact, the city is huge and culturally diverse. Thus, this movie is representative of that and is a contemporary, restorative addition to a genre that is for the most part, dried out by its “same-old, same old” themes, characters, and aesthetics. If you want to experience a true love story and not one out of a sugar-coated romance novel, please take the time to view this movie--- especially if you represent the teen demographic I keep referencing. I promise that you will not regret seeing a film that offers a dose of themes such as diversity, immigration, and ultimately the sole purpose of human interconnectedness that we, as audiences, experience in the real world. I give it a 7/10.