Suncoast review: Nico Parker stands out in an otherwise average tear-jerker

Being a teenager is hard enough, but also having to care for a grievously ill brother at the same time is heartbreaking. That's what Nico Parker's Doris is faced with in the coming-of-age drama Suncoast, which is actually based on the true-life experience of writer/director Laura Chinn, making her feature debut.

Parker, whose most recognized work to date was in the HBO hit series The Last of Us, really carries the movie. She nails the awkward and emotional beats of a teenager struggling to deal with losing her brother, a mother (played by Laura Linney) that has almost forgotten about her and longing for a semblance of a normal teenage experience. Chinn helps nail those key moments with her work behind the camera by simply letting them speak for themselves.

The only problem is that the rest of the movie struggles to live up to those moments. The supporting performances from Linney as Doris' mother and Woody Harrelson as an activist that connects with Doris are fine, but forgettable compared to the Oscar-nominated actors' best work, while Doris' high school storyline is lacking.

Overall, Suncoast is a solid debut movie from Chinn with a lead performance from Paker that'll have many wiping away the tears, but little else stands out for it to go from good to great.

Suncoast takes place around 2005 in Florida, where teenager Doris and her mom Kristine take care of her brother Max, whose years-long battle with brain cancer has basically shut down his body to the point where it is a question of when, not if, he is going to die. Doris, who has helped care for Max through all of this, longs for some semblance of a normal teenage life, so when her mom puts Max in hospice and spends most of her time there, she seizes on an opportunity to become friends with a group of popular girls by hosting parties at her house. She also forms a connection with Paul, an activist protesting the landmark medical case of Terry Schiavo, which dealt with the question of whether or not to keep her on life support after she fell into an irreversible vegetative state.

Again, Parker is the stand out here. She is great as the awkward teen trying to fit in among her peers, while going toe to toe with acting veterans like Linney and Harrelson. Scenes with Linney showcase the imbalance in their relationship as Kristine's attention has shifted so much to Max, but you get glimpses throughout of what they were like before that. With Harrelson it's a cathartic experience, as Doris can vent but also gain some additional perspective as Paul has gone through a similar situation, while a scene where he teaches Doris to drive is a highlight moment for Doris and us viewers for its pure joy. Then when the emotional climax of the movie comes, she absolutely knocks it out of the park.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the storyline with Doris' new high school friends. It's not that the performances are bad, as Daniella Taylor, Ella Anderson, Amarr and Ariel Martin's characters play your typical high schoolers mostly concerned about partying and who's into who, but their friendship with Doris never achieves an authenticity. It feels like we're missing a moment where these characters truly connect with anything really beyond the superficial. That may be the point, as Doris is going through things that none of them can understand, but with a huge part of the movie being about Doris getting to final have normal teenage experiences, it would've been nice to see a deeper connection with one or all of her new friends.

As for Chinn's directing, she opts for the less is more approach, which definitely feels like the right one in this case. There are no overly stylistic camera or editing techniques, as she simply puts the performances and the writing at the center of it all. One thing though that is notable is she lets the sun-kissed Florida environment stand out, as the story plays out in mostly warm tones. This helps the movie by not overly playing what is going on by making things darker or abnormal. This is life, and sometimes it can be hard even while the sun is shining.

Suncoast is successful in making you feel the emotions of its main storyline, with Nico Parker leading that charge. While the rest of the movie lags behind her, it is still a satisfying viewing experience.

Suncoast debuts on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK on February 9.