Sundance 2025: SUNFISH (& OTHER STORIES ON GREEN LAKE) and LAST DAYS

With Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake), we have a Sundance newcomer in Sierra Falconer, while Last Days sees the return of Sundance alumni Justin Lin (who was at the festival with Better Luck Tomorrow in 2002). As a film festival that champions independent cinema, it’s nice to see both new blood and veteran filmmakers carry the mantle, even if the results aren’t always perfect.

Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)

Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) is of those movies that doesn’t necessarily wear its narrative intentions on its sleeves and is instead concerned about capturing a certain way of existence. Although the film is astutely observational, Sierra Falconer finds ways to inject dramatic tension with a degree of subtlety that matches the film’s somewhat muted tone. The film is wonderfully crafted and speaks volumes despite being a gentle and quiet exploration of everyday life.

Set on the backdrop of Green Lake, Michigan, the film is an anthology of four stories that have some sparse connective tissue. From a young girl bonding with her grandparents, to a single mother going on an adventure with an ailing man, Sunfish transports audiences to the various corners of its lakeside setting through captivating storytelling. Its cast includes Maren Heary, Jim Kaplan, Karsen Liotta, Dominic Bogart, Tenley Kellogg, and Emily Hall.

Sunfish might not be your typical definition of escapism cinema, but it’s a transportive experience nonetheless. Although each vignette is relatively brief, all four individual stories feel lived in and fully realized. There’s a sense of realism that’s anchored by strong performances, coming mostly from relative newcomers. Brian Steckler’s score and the film’s musical selection are also nested perfectly into the narrative, drifting seamlessly between one story to the other.

The peaceful calamity created by Falconer is marked by its representation of the mundane, but the film manages to avoid feeling pedestrian. Characters and events are depicted thoughtfully, and every creative decision feels deliberate. There’s a level of mastery to piecing together four seemingly unrelated stories in a manner that somehow demands careful deliberation. Falconer is able to do that with her naturalistic and captivating storytelling capabilities.

When it comes to discoveries in independent cinema, which continues to be a reason d’être behind Sundance’s identity as a festival, a film like Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) should hopefully continue to serve as its poster child. Particularly when one considers that the film was part of Falconer’s Master’s thesis, independent filmmaking doesn’t really doesn’t get anymore independent than this. Through a keen sense of patient storytelling, she’s crafted a truly special film. Her restraint as a filmmaker ultimately bolsters the film’s uniquely quiescent energy. The calamity in tone never feels stale, and the tender interactions between characters are far from simple. There’s a lot more hidden between the lines, and Falconer simply revels in these intricate details.

Last Days

On paper, John Chau’s cautionary tale of misguided evangelical pursuits has qualities that are befitting of a cinematic retelling. And while qualities that might inform an interesting story are inherently present, Justin Lin fails to create something that capitalizes on said qualities. The final product is unfortunately a total misstep that falls flat as an exercise in compelling storytelling. 

Those familiar with the National Geographic documentary will likely already know about Chau’s tragic and misinformed journey as a radical missionary. Played earnestly by Sky Yang, the fictional version of Chau reluctantly begins his studies as a medical student — presumably pressured by his physician father, played by Ken Leung — before quitting and pursuing what he perceives to be his true calling. Not being satisfied with more traditional missionary work, he enlists himself in training camps aimed at preparing individuals for more dangerous and unexplored territories. Embarking on what’s described as the “Mount Everest” of missionary destinations, Chau is poised to travel to North Sentinel Island, a region that is marred by violent encounters with the native Sentinelese people. Radhika Apte and Naveen Andrews play local Indian police officers who become entangled in Chau‘s case.

As the film delves into its protagonist’s upbringing and decision to pursue evangelical work to such an extreme, Lin leans heavily on exposition, rather than deeper emotional exploration, which would have made for a much better film. Chau’s characterization is primarily defined by his misdirected obsession with “saving” the Sentinelese people through evangelical efforts, but the film itself also feels misguided. As a religious fanatic, Chau’s worldview is obviously skewed, yet the film never truly capitalizes on the follies of faith. Whether stylistically or even narratively speaking, the film really only skirts around the idea of Christian extremism rather than tackling it head on.

Last Days ultimately never emulates the sense of fanaticism experienced by Chau. In a sense, the film almost stays in the lane of a simple biopic grounded in reality, when its subject matter likely warranted some creative license to fully evoke the mental state of its zealous protagonist. That would have at least informed a much more interesting interpretation of Chau, beyond what has already been depicted in the general news media. Toward the film’s climactic end, Lin finally begins to lean on the hyperbolic nature of sensationalized faith, which proves to be quite riveting. Alas, this is all too little, too late, and fails as a Hail Mary to save the film from mediocrity.

Lin simply feels out of his element with Last Days, and as a result, is unable to muster any true dramatic tension or nuance. Interesting ideas are presented, but pieced together with muted creative choices, resulting in a lackluster film. This is far from the return to small-scale dramatic filmmaking that fans of Lin would have undoubtedly hoped for. And to them (and Lin), I would say, better luck tomorrow.

Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) and Last Days premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Click here for more of Film Inquiry’s Sundance coverage.