Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)

Watched at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Anthology movies are a risk because having several stories in one can be either a mess or not. Luckily, Sierra Falconer is able to provide a comfort vibe summer journey with wonderful camerawork, soft stories, and good performances from the nature environment and characters. The movie perfectly captures the summer vibes of youth, people, and the lives people encounter in their moments. Providing some good character interactions, narratives, and dynamics.

Regarding the narrative, there are four stories. Each story focuses on the themes of summer, but on various characters. Particular the first and fourth story is the best one with the most interesting and engaging characters. While story 2 and 3 suffers from some character issues, they didn't feel out of place and were still able to offer a good summer vibe and structure.

Falconer is able to prove with her directing work that she has some good talents. I really like the summer vibe the movie offers and I throughly enjoyed this one.

I'm a big fan of films made in Michigan, especially those from home-grown filmmakers. I hadn't heard of this movie, until a reader "M", brought it to my attention. The fact that it's set on an inland lake up north, brought back a flood of great memories. For several years, our family would head up to a friend of a friend's cottage on nearby Black Lake for long weekends. Fishing, campfires on the beach, and stunning sunsets were just part of the magical weekends. There's simply nothing quite like a weekend "Up North," and this film certainly reminded me of those trips.

"Sunfish" is the directorial and writing debut for Sierra Falconer, and it certainly portends great things to come, if this beautiful film is any indication. It's a heartfelt love poem to her childhood growing up on Green Lake in northern Michigan. Actually, it could be more aptly described as a cinematic novella, told in four distinct chapters. Quietly elegant in its simplicity. Not surprisingly, it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in Drama at the most recent Sundance Film Festival. Ms. Falconer's stories were brought to life with the assistance of cinematographer Marcus Patterson. And the beautiful original score by Brian Steckler, added a folky charm to the movie.

In the opening chapter, we join teenager Lu (Maren Heary) with her mom and her mom's new husband. The happy couple is all set to celebrate their surprise wedding and drop Lu off at her grandparents' house, much to her disappointment. She doesn't know them at all and she treats the time as some sort of punishment. Pop (Adam LeFevre) is a crusty old codger and Nan (Marceline Hugot) is a sweet, attentive grandma. The couple's main source of entertainment is armchair birdwatching, and to their delight, they've recently discovered a loon nesting offshore of their lakeside home.

Naturally, Lu feels totally out of her element and bored to tears. That is, until she discovers a Sunfish sailboat on the property. After uncovering it and rolling it into the water, a whole new world opens up to her. Pop rises to the occasion as well and conducts a one-man sailing school for his granddaughter. He literally teaches her the ropes-learning about basic knot tying, handling the sails, avoiding being hit by the boom, and how to right the craft after it capsizes. As the story unfolds, you know it's going to be a summer of self discovery for the spirited young girl.

One thing I particularly enjoyed was the innovative transitions from one chapter to the next. After we've spent time with Lu and her grandparents, we move on to the next scene. This is deftly done when Lu sails to the site of Interlochen, the music camp for gifted kids. She looks through her binoculars and spots a young boy, all by himself. With this seamless move, we enter the next part of the film.

Jun (Jim Kaplan) is a violin prodigy and very introverted. While the other kids are playing games and frolicking in the lake, Jun is maniacally toiling away practicing his violin pieces. It doesn't help that his mom is the ultimate helicopter parent. She has hopes of him being the first chair violinist of the Chicago Symphony by the time he's 18. She even makes him repeat a success mantra before she leaves him for the summer. You just know that his stay at the camp is going to be all work and no play.

The third chapter in the novella is the oddest one of the lot. When a bartender Annie (Karsen Liotta) overhears a patron Finn (Dominic Bogart) spin a yarn about seeing a massive fish he encountered in the lake, it piques her interest. Before long, the two become partners in the pursuit of the mythical creature. It's a caper that involves a robbery of sorts, a police chase, and a surprise ending. It certainly is the most unexpected and unusual of the tales.

The last chapter is every bit as emotional as the first one. It revolves around two sisters Blue Jay (Tenley Kellogg) and Robin (Emily Hall) who help their father run an Airbnb on their property. Their daily routine is interrupted when a Hollywood screenwriter and his family come to stay for the summer. They seem oddly out of place in this rural part of the world but eventually settle in. Set against this narrative is the fact that Robin is going off to college at summers end. You can sense that things are going to get emotional when it's time for her to leave.

Collectively, the four chapters make up a gentle, magical story of a special time and place in Ms. Falconer's life. She's crafted a memorable tribute to an incredible part of the country. If you're a Michigander, I'm sure you have your fair share of "Up North" memories. Which begs the question I've often pondered: Just where does "Up North" actually begin? After numerous discussions about this over the years, I've come to the conclusion that it begins somewhere around Claire.

--MovieJunkieMark.

It's a mostly compelling tetralogy of short films that's well shot with some nice visuals, but half of this film really didn't do it for me.

The first part, Sunfish, tells a story we've seen a thousand times. Moody teen has to stay with people she barely knows and slowly learns to enjoy the time she has. The problem with this one is that her character arc jumps from one end to the other in a matter of minutes, making the story had to relate to. Part 2, Summer Camp, was really well done and probably the best part of the film for me. The acting, story, and emotional beats were all done very well, leaving me satisfied when it ended. I heavily disliked part 3. It's a complete deviation from the previous coming of age shorts which tells an extremely goofy and poorly acted "tall tale" story that is helmed by some extremely cringeworthy characters and dialogue. Luckily, I enjoyed part 4. I didn't like it as much as 2, but it ended the film with a very sweet and compelling sisterly love story that was helmed by 2 very good actresses.

Overall, Sunfish & Other Stories at Green Lake offers a few nice individual stories, but fails as a thematically connective Anthology story.

Sunfish (and Other Stories on Green Lake) is a heartfelt, beautifully made film that captures the feeling of summer in a way that's both honest and deeply familiar. Written, directed, and produced by Sierra Falconer, it has a quiet confidence that lets each moment breathe. If you've ever spent time at a lake cottage or in a small town by the water, this film will feel like home.

The cinematography is gorgeous-soft, natural, and full of detail. It flows effortlessly from one story to the next, each connected by the rhythms of lake life and the bonds between people who share that space.

Falconer brings together a cast of characters who are all navigating their own moments of freedom, change, and responsibility, and it's in those small, human moments that the film really shines.

The writing is thoughtful and grounded, the performances feel real, and the overall experience leaves a lasting impression. What makes it even more impressive is that this is Sierra Falconer's first feature film. It's a remarkable debut-quietly powerful, emotionally resonant, and full of promise for whatever she does next.

It was my favorite film at Sundance this year.