THE STORY – Wendy’s life is thrown into chaos when her boyfriend, Jack, who is older and divorced with children, insists they take space to evaluate the relationship. During their break, Wendy unexpectedly runs into her ex, Chuck, which forces the three of them into a confusing, volatile triangle.
THE CAST – Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson, Cory Michael Smith, Debby Ryan, Anna Konkle, Lamorne Morris, & Karley Sciortino
THE TEAM – Joe Swanberg (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 102 Minutes
Joe Swanberg’s decision to dive headfirst into the messiness of modern relationships is evident throughout his work in film and television. His filmography is personalized with experiences and conversations from his own life, making his grounded storytelling effective for many viewers. Swanberg’s latest feature, “The Sun Never Sets,” is unsurprisingly cut from the same cloth, as he delivers another pleasing mumblecore romance that’s as dizzying at times to witness as the headspace of the characters in the film.
The center of this romantic dilemma is 30-something Alaskan native Wendy (Dakota Fanning), whose contented life is challenged after her friend Lindsey (Debbie Ryan) announces her pregnancy. Wendy’s two-year relationship with Jack (Jake Johnson), an older father of two who does not want more children or to remarry, is affected when he urges her to pause their relationship to discover what she wants at this point in her life. Jack hopes that Wendy doesn’t regret any further commitments that would turn their relationship into something miserable. This confusing and often manipulative act of romantic grace becomes more complicated when Wendy enacts Jack’s plan, inadvertently leading her into the arms of her ex-boyfriend Chuck (Cory Michael Smith), a pilot who returns home to Anchorage after being away for many years.
What ensues is a romantic triangle that riles up the frustration between these lovers, as it does viewers, as Swanberg emphasizes this sense of disarray as Wendy is rotating these men in and out of her life without furthering a sense of who she is as an individual. Fanning beautifully brings Wendy’s emotional exasperation to life, showcasing a woman buried by millennial angst and thrust into a position she never asked for. Her dramatic chops have only gotten better since her days as a child actor, and in” The Sun Never Sets,” she’s delivering a relatably heart-wrenching performance. Fanning’s ability to bring a distinctive vitality to Wendy’s differing partners is astounding. Any time she’s opposite Smith, their chemistry is clearly more rooted in similar personalities and, frankly, attractiveness, while anytime Fanning is opposite Johnson, it elevates to a dynamic mainly filled with warmth and laughter, despite the erratic nature. Johnson, a frequent collaborator of Swanberg, gets his dialogue like no one else, heightening many of the film’s funniest moments through his reactions.
Smith’s channels Chuck’s mysterious, often detached nature, which brings its own unique challenges to how he and Fanning pull off some of Swanberg’s more understated moments. Yet neither relationship progresses, and they both worsen throughout “The Sun Never Sets,” leaving audiences to wonder if what they’re witnessing is worthwhile. It’s an endless carousel of repetitive conversations that only drag out as each character consistently contradicts themselves. Swanberg, while intently showing that relationships are never perfect, can’t inspire investment in why Wendy should even pursue either of these men, solidifying the hopeful position in which our protagonist finds herself in the film’s final moments. What Swanberg conveys is the ability to get lost in the moment of it all, as Eon Mora’s cinematography captures the stunning scenery of Alaska that Wendy escapes to, whether with Chuck or on her own, in gorgeous 35mm.
Other than how it looks and the work of Fanning and Johnson, there isn’t much to “The Sun Never Sets” beyond being an amusing indie dramedy that never crosses the line into an exhausting exercise in passionate patience. Swanberg’s dedication to authenticity for these characters’ conversations leaves little for audiences for the rest of the film, and by the end, all you can do is exhale a sigh of relief. It’s nowhere near the reflective dissection of the complications of modern love it wants to be. However, it’s still a solid entry into a consistent filmography from a filmmaker like Swanberg.
