MOVIE OF THE WEEK September 12, 2025: SUNFISH (& OTHER STORIES ON GREEN LAKE
Unfolding like the warm, languid days of a lakeside summer vacation, writer/director Sierra Falconer’s Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) is an anthology of four character-driven vignettes that are united by their setting on the titular Michigan lake. From a resentful teenage girl who finds joy in learning to sail to two sisters about to be separated for the first time, their stories are simultaneously charming and wistful.
The film’s characters don’t interact with each other directly, but each chapter neatly passes the baton to the next as corners are turned and paths nearly cross. The protagonist of the first story, Sunfish, is teenage Lu (Maren Heary), whose flighty mother, Jen (Lauren Sweetser), all but dumps the girl on her grandparents’ doorstep when Jen impulsively gets married. Lu isn’t inclined to enjoy herself with Nan (Marceline Hugot) and Pop (Adam LeFevre), but gradually their peaceful, steady presence — and irresistible sunfish sailboat — thaw her out. Still, she misses other kids, so she’s drawn to observe the elite Interlochen Arts Camp that fronts the lake … which is when the second story, Summer Camp, starts, and the action switches to Jun (Jim Kaplan). He’s a very talented young musician, but he doesn’t really get to be a kid, since his mother is more concerned with him making first chair than making friends. He pushes himself relentlessly, but does he actually want what he’s working so hard for?
After Jun, viewers are introduced to single mom/bartender Annie (Karsen Liotta) in Two Hearted. Feeling hemmed in by her small life, Annie impulsively offers to help barfly Finn (Dominic Bogart) in his Captain Ahab-like quest to track down Green Lake’s elusive giant fish. The thrill of rebellion and spontaneity bring the two together, memorably but briefly, before the camera’s attention shifts to sisters Blue Jay (Tenley Kellogg) and Robin (Emily Hall) for the film’s final segment, Resident Bird. Enjoying their last few days of summer before Robin leaves for culinary school, the sisters are both excited and nervous to prepare their lakefront house for high-profile boarders.
Each story is intimate and closely observed, with Falconer following her characters as they face some kind of change that might seem commonplace to others but is pivotal to them. In that way, the film serves as a thoughtful reminder of the fact that everyone has their own challenges to deal with, their own obstacles to overcome. It also captures the nostalgic feeling that so often accompanies the end of a summer spent drenched in both sun and water — that pining for the long days and warm nights that so quickly slip away as the seasons change. — Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Leslie Combemale Writer/director Sierra Falconer’s film is nostalgic, slice of life cinema that feels like a balm. Everything about the film, each story… comes together to lull viewers into such a state of calm, it’s like sitting on a summer porch listening to crickets and frogs, and I mean that in the best way. It’s not always joyful subject matter, but it doesn’t have to be, because each story rings true. There’s a memory there for just about anyone who has ever vacationed or lived by a lake. What a delight.
Jennifer Merin Writer/director Sierra Falconer’s debut feature film is a charming compilation of four character-driven vignettes centered around a rural summer resort surrounding a pristine lake. The story presented in each of the vignettes could stand alone as a short film, but tethered together with subtle linking references, they become a congenial and quietly compelling cinematic portrait of a community that’s defined by the ways in which its constituents — each of whom is struggling for self realization — respond individually and collectively to the potentially healing opportunities provided by a summer vacation at perfectly blue Green Lake. The film is beautifully crafted and its unusual and intriguing structure creates a relaxing cinematic environment that invites viewers to comfortably contemplate and experience the odd nature of community connectivity.
Sandie Angulo Chen: Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake), writer/director Sierra Falconer’s anthology drama, offers four vignettes set in a Northern Michigan lake town that is her hometown. A small-town, slice-of-life film, it captures the timeless rhythms of summers on the water. The stories flow into one another, though the characters don’t overlap: three center on teens navigating coming-of-age crises (unexpected summer with grandparents, competition at the elite Interlochen Arts Camp, and a farewell summer with a college-bound sibling), while the third shifts to adults: a waitress and a bar regular join forces to catch a colossal fish. Originally Falconer’s UCLA MFA thesis, the film went on to premiere at Sundance. While there’s no overarching plot, Falconer’s keen eye for setting and deliberate pacing stand out, marking her as a filmmaker to watch.
Loren King If you want to feel like you’ve taken a vacation to a idyllic Michigan lake, complete with loons and sumptuous sunsets, and spend time with a few original and compelling characters, Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) is the perfect escape. Director Sierra Falconer’s lovely feature is a quartet of loosely connected vignettes all set around a Michigan lake and its cabins. Each story — a pair of memorable coming of age tales; a romance between a pair of outlaws; and the finale which I found the most impressive: a poignant tale of sisters on the cusp of adulthood who run their absent father’s rental cabin. Each short is wistful, nostalgic, beautifully acted and rendered with exquisite sensitivity and attention to detail.
Sherin Nicole Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) is a greeting card kind of movie—there is no dismissal there—it’s a recognition that these vignettes are short but luxuriant, lovingly rendered, and filled with heartfelt sentiment (but also smiles and tears). It gently quests to take its characters, and therefore us, outside of ourselves to see how deep the waters go.
Liz Whittemore An authentic debut from Sierra Falconer, Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) is a beautifully woven tapestry of humanity at its most vulnerable. The intertwining stories find each of their leads emotionally baptized by the very waters they surround themselves with. There is a moving intimacy to Marcus Patterson’s camerawork. This film is a stirring snapshot of life’s highs and lows.
Cate Marquis Writer/director Sierra Falconer’s anthology drama weaves together four summer stories set around the vacation resort area surrounding peaceful Green Lake in Michigan, stories that paint a portrait of the place and the community of people there. In Sunfish, a teen-aged girl is dropped off by her mother to stay with grandparents she barely knows at their lovely lakeside cabin. In Summer Camp, a boy at the Interlochen music camp on the lake feels pressured by his mother’s high expectations. In Two-Hearted, a young woman with a small child and a dead-end job at a bar overhears a conversation and makes an offer to help that leads to unexpected adventure. In Resident Bird, two sisters, Robin and Blue Jay, run their family’s lakeside cabin as a B&B. Each little story is self-contained, beautifully filmed and acted, and also cleverly tied together to make a whole.
TRAILER
FILM DETAILS:
Title: Sunfish (And other Stories on Green Lake)
Director: Sierra Falconer
Release Date: Sptember 12, 2025
Running Time: 87 minutes
Language: English
Screenwriter: Sierra Falconer
Distribution Company: The Future of Film Is Female
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Sandie Angulo Chen, Betsy Bozdech, Leslie Combemale, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Sherin Nicole, Liz Whittemore
Other Movies Opening This Week
Edited by Jennifer Merin
