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Sundance 2025 Review: Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) – “An ambitious project.”

Among those visiting and living around Green Lake are a young girl left with her grandparents, a violin protégé attending a music camp, a terminally ill fisherman trying to reel in a catch that nobody believes exists, and two sisters running a bed and breakfast.

Broken into four chapters, the first deals with a teenage girl being taken to her grandparent’s cottage while her mother reveals that she has just gotten married and is going off on an impromptu honeymoon. Despite the hospitality of being offered, the resentful granddaughter discovers solace in learning how to sail. Then there is a violinist having to deal with the parental expectations that he is going to be the star of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the pressure is causing him to physically hurt himself. Then there is a bar employee who decides to assist one of her patrons to literally catch a dream of his and finally two sisters who operate a bed and breakfast and have to deal with the complications of being siblings and dealing with the needs of their guests.

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The two stories that are purposeful as their characters experience a transformation of sorts are the granddaughter who finds peace out on the lake sailing and looking after a wayward baby loon and the fun Bonnie and Clyde vibe that goes along with the bar employee and fisherman stealing a harpoon and attempting to hook an enormous fish before law enforcement catches them. The other two stories meander which causes one to ask what is the point? Nice touches show that the granddaughter is adjusting when she stops calling her mother and the issue of the fish is addressed while retaining a sense of mystery.

Even though the stories are narratively separate from each other, there are well-planned transitional shots that avoid having to rely upon abrupt cuts or fading in and out of black. The tone is never dower and avoids falling into the trap of making the characters caricatures. This is an ambitious project that is beautifully shot and the landscape is treated as a member of the principal cast. The characters are rendered enough to avoid them becoming caricatures though not enough to make them entirely knowable.

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival takes place January 23 to February 2, 2025, in person and online, and for more information visit sundance.org.

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.

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