Filmmaker Joe Swanberg’s sharp relationship drama, The Sun Never Sets, features a career-best performance from the always intriguing Dakota Fanning.
This movie is delicately put together in a wonderfully watchable fashion that makes the audience greatly appreciate its very smart characterizations.
In the film, Fanning portrays Wendy, a woman who has been in a long term relationship with an older, divorced man named Jack (Jake Johnson). When the pair decides to give each other some space to figure things out, their bond begins to get even more complicated in this winning new film.
The Sun Never Sets is really intelligent, and has a lot of charm to spare as it makes the viewer grow to like the characters in the picture. Wendy and Jack seem to want to make it work, but when Wendy gets involved with a guy from her past named Chuck (Cory Michael Smith), all bets are off.
Jake Johnson is absolutely incredible in this movie. He expertly plays Jack as a sweet, lovable guy who would most likely walk through fire for the love of his life, Wendy.
Jack is both likable and flawed as a character. Jack has children who adore Wendy, but she is trying to figure herself out. We’re never quite sure if Wendy truly loves Jack romantically, although it’s abundantly clear that he loves her.
When Chuck moves in with Wendy, things get even more complicated, setting Jack on a journey to figure out what he really wants as Wendy tries to decide between two decidedly complex men. This unpredictable love triangle has plenty of surprises in store for the viewer.
The Sun Never Sets is beautifully constructed as a love story, but also works as a character study that rarely hits a false beat. These characters are likable. They are individually interesting as well as collectively compelling to watch.
As Chuck seems to have financial difficulties, Jack seems to have everything together in his life. He’s almost too perfect for Wendy despite their age gap. Trying to figure out whether or not Jack is right for Wendy is one of the movie’s many joys, which makes it ultra-enjoyable.
Dakota Fanning reveals many layers to her character, adding depth that makes us truly appreciate Wendy, whether her major life decisions are flawed or not. It’s easy to see her side in that she needs space at one point, but it’s also easy to want to see her settle down with one of the two gentlemen featured in the picture.
Fanning is entirely onboard this characterization, and it’s easy to read her signals. She doesn’t seem to be too into Jack at one point, but because of Fanning’s deep characterization, we’re never quite sure which way her character will turn next.
The Sun Never Sets has a tremendously engaging storyline. Trying to figure out where the plot will take us proves to be an unpredictable journey.
In the supporting cast, Karley Sciortino truly shines as the woman, Sara, who Jack begins to date when he’s on the rebound, trying to get over losing Wendy. Sciortino also has tremendous on-screen appeal that is easy for the viewer to relate to.
Fanning and Johnson pull off a believable relationship on-screen despite the fact that they could have come across as a serious mismatch in a lesser film. That is a testament to the quality of the acting of both Fanning and Johnson.
Smith is also quite interesting in his smaller role in the picture, and has some nice chemistry on-screen with the near-perfect Fanning.
There’s no denying that The Sun Never Sets may take a shortcut or two to get to its unpredictable ending, but it’s a moving story of love lost, found, lost again, found again, and, ultimately, left up to fate.
The Sun Never Sets is an IFC Films release, now playing, only in theaters.
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Thomas Duffy
Thomas Duffy is a Critics Choice member who has written film reviews for most of his life, starting at age 11 when he crafted his first full length movie critique on the film, "Roxanne," a Cyrano story featuring Steve Martin. As a result of that review and other movie obsessive writing, Thomas was awarded a creative writing award in sixth grade. Thomas is the proud author of nine books, including two highly acclaimed novels, "To Never Know" and "Social Work." Thomas can be found on X (formerly known as Twitter) or at a New York City movie theater watching the latest hit or independent movie. You can also run into him at Tribeca or at the New York Film Festival.