Can a movie about teenagers with cancer really be considered feel-good? With Sunny Dancer, the answer is yes.
Writer-director George Jaques’ second feature film follows Ivy (Bella Ramsey), a 17-year-old in remission from cancer. When her parents (James Norton and Jessica Gunning) insist she spend four weeks at a summer camp for teens affected by cancer, Ivy reluctantly goes. Despite her hard time adjusting to what she calls “chemo camp,” especially because of the overzealous camp leader (Neil Patrick Harris), Ivy soon makes a new group of friends, which includes her roommate Ella (Ruby Stokes), Ralph (Earl Cave), Archie (Conrad Khan), Maisie (Jasmine Elcock), and her love interest Jake (Daniel Quinn-Toye). Together, they have a summer they’ll never forget.
In terms of the narrative, Sunny Dancer doesn’t stray far from a typical coming-of-age summer camp movie. There’s the awkward arrival scene, the reluctant camper who eventually has fun, run-ins with the camp leader, teens sneaking around and navigating the brink of adulthood together, first romances, and the cliché end-of-camp talent show. But in this case, there’s also the much darker underlying element that all of the teens have battled cancer. They didn’t get to experience a “normal” childhood like everyone else, and they want the chance to be young and have fun without being defined by their illness.
As the story progresses, you realise the characters aren’t all they appear to be, and each has more depth than they initially reveal. Between Ivy’s persistent anger, Jake’s panic attacks, Ella’s eagerness to lose her virginity, and Ralph’s incredibly dark sense of humour, the teens are all struggling with what they’ve experienced and the constant fear that their cancer will return. Even characters like the camp leader and other staff are layered, and your feelings about them will change throughout the course of the film.
The only real downside for me, then, is that some of the pacing seems a bit rushed. In the final act in particular, there’s a jarring twist that changes the rest of the film, but doesn’t feel fully developed emotionally because of how little time it gets before the end. It’s a shame because of how well the film works up until then.
That being said, I think the characters and performances are what make Sunny Dancer truly special. Bella Ramsey is without a doubt the star of this film, continuing to show their incredible range as an actor after starring in hits like Game of Thrones and The Last of Us. The way they portray the complexity and emotional vulnerability of Ivy is phenomenal. Surprisingly, Neil Patrick Harris also delivers a deeply moving performance. Both actors have scenes that reduced me to tears, but they also had me laughing out loud several times. In all honesty, though, the entire ensemble does an amazing job in this film. The casting is really strong, pairing more seasoned actors with several up-and-coming ones.
Sunny Dancer is a gem of a film worth watching. It’s full of heart and, most importantly, joy. It will also have you laughing before ripping your heart out and putting it back together (over and over again).
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In UK cinemas from August 14th / Bella Ramsey, Daniel Quinn-Toye, Ruby Stokes, Earl Cave, Conrad Khan, Jasmine Elcock, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Gunning, James Norton, Shalom Brune-Franklin, & Josie Walker / Dir: George Jaques / True Brit Entertainment / 15
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