It is 2005 and Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston have just split up. While the pop culture world cries out in despair, Doris (Nico Parker) recites the news to her mother Kristine (Laura Linney) as they move her brother into a hospice care center. It is apparent this was an outcome the two had been expecting for quite some time. Doris’s brother Max (Cree Kawa) has been suffering from disease for years and can no longer speak or move. Under the crushing weight of her brother’s illness and her mother’s sole focus being his health, Doris has struggled to form a path of her own. With this move, Doris’s small world opens ever so slightly to new experiences. This not only allows her to enjoy adolescence for the first time, but also learn something about the people around her. Inspired by writer and director Laura Chinn’s life, “Suncoast” is a heartbreaking and uplifting tale of love and forgiveness.
The specificity of “Suncoast” elevates it from a familiar coming-of-age drama into something more. Doris is not a “normal kid,” as her newfound friend Paul (Woody Harrellson) often points out. She lives two separate lives. One where she is the obedient daughter who helps care for her brother, and the other is the girl who has parties at her house while her mother is gone. As tensions between Doris and her mother rise while Max’s health declines, those two lives become harder to keep separate. After so many years of constant struggle with her mother, Doris’s new situation is hard to let go of once she finally makes friends.
“Suncoast” begins with Doris’s world being very internal. She is quite lonely as her two most significant relationships are with her mother and Max. Kristine at first appears to be a very difficult person. From yelling at the nursing staff to belittling Doris’s personal problems, there is little room for Doris to receive any maternal softness. While visiting Suncoast, Doris befriends Paul, a protester involved with the real life landmark medical case that is also taking place at Suncoast. They form an odd friendship over their shared personal tragedies. Between Paul and Kristine’s characters, as well as the real life medical case, the film is balancing many layers of conflict. Through Doris’s eyes we absorb all of these different perspectives, culminating in Doris’s own personal growth.
The combination of all these factors of Doris’s life result in a different type of girlhood than audiences are accustomed to seeing. Her newfound freedom with her brother in hospice sounds ironic, but it is the first time she does not need to be in his constant care. Apart from the typical struggles a teenager faces, Doris has had to face even harder ones. Depicting these scenes with such specificity must work as a cathartic exercise to Chinn, who showcases all sides of these varying characters. Doris’s recurrent selfish decisions are also cries of frustration, an emotion that can no longer be ignored. Kristine’s brash nature also gets pulled back, revealing a grieving mother underneath who is struggling to keep it together. As the film builds on all of the elements it has introduced, the development Doris undergoes allows her to finally see her mother and for her mother to see her.
Chinn’s personal story of her own coming of age is at times tumultuous both in emotion and tone, but comes together to form a moving story of family. The grace she gifts her characters is colored with a mature pen, allowing Doris and the audience to understand Kristine’s harsh treatment of her daughter. Doris’s problems can sometimes be frivolous teen issues, but weighing that next to the overarching pressure of her brother’s condition makes her character’s frustration recognizable. Nico Parker delivers an excellent, well-rounded performance of Doris, teetering between an angry teen and a girl who just wants to be seen. As a debut feature, Chinn’s ambitious film is buzzing with ideas and emotions that will leave you feeling the impact long after its runtime.
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