Suncoast Review
Streaming Movie Review - Hulu - Drama
The case of Terri Schiavo, a woman in a persistent vegetative state whose husband chose to remove her feeding tube against the wishes of her parents, had many in the nation talking about issues of DNRs, living wills, and the right to die. Regardless of where one fell on the debates, the story was heartbreaking because it focused on a young woman who had people who loved her and were struggling with her passing. Schiavo’s story serves as the backdrop for the Hulu film “Suncoast,” the debut feature film from writer and director Laura Chinn.
Doris (Nico Parker) is a young woman struggling with the slow death of her brother and the divided attention of her mother, Kristine (Laura Linney). When her brother moves into Suncoast, the hospice that houses Terri Schiavo, Doris forms a bond with Paul (Woody Harrelson), a protestor who lost his wife and is now part of the group trying to save Schiavo. Kristine chooses to leave Doris at home alone while she stays with her son. Because she has spent so much of her life caring for her brother, Doris uses her time alone at home to become friends with kids at school by hosting parties. But when Kirstine comes home and finds her, the consequences are more than Doris is willing to accept.
This movie shines when it focuses on the family drama and coming-of-age aspects of the story. Despite Harrelson’s charm, it feels like it bogs down in the scenes featuring his character. I appreciated the dynamic between Parker and Harrelson, but it felt like it added something unnecessary to an already bulky story about having a terminally ill child in a family and how that impacts those relationships.
The performances are lovely. Parker does a great job of balancing the nuances of trying to be a responsible teen who loves her dying brother but also wants to experience a normal teen life. But the real star of this movie is Linney. She absolutely nails the frantic energy of a woman who is trying to deal with the impending death of one child while trying to raise another. Her ongoing beef with the hospice staff is wonderful, and her performance is what carries this movie.
While I understand the decision to include the Terri Schiavo narrative in this, as it was a touch point for many of the ethical questions about the value of life, it muddied the story a bit. The relationship between Doris and Kristine would have been stronger if it had remained between the two of them rather than bringing in another story that dilutes the power of their experience.
That said, this is a beautiful film. Plenty of films have explored grief after someone has passed, but fewer have examined it as an ongoing experience. “Suncoast” does an admirable job of exploring complicated family interactions, and it does so in a way that is honest and touching.
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on March 23, 2024.
Her acting in the “The Big C” with Laura Linney tells me Linney is a veteran at performing roles with emotional richness and nuance. Nico is splendid in “The Last of Us “ however short her stint was - it was memorable!!