"Sunny Dancer" Review: Bella Ramsey Leads an Uneven but Affecting Coming-of-Age Story
Director George Jaques’ “Sunny Dancer”, distributed by Quiver Distribution, features a premise that could easily fall into sentimentality: a reluctant teenager is sent to a summer camp for young people living with or recovering from cancer, only to discover friendship, romance, and a reason to lower her defenses. The surprising part isn’t that the film gets emotional, but that, despite a screenplay that often strains to generate those feelings, its sincerity ultimately prevails.
Bella Ramsey stars as Ivy, who enters Children Run Free Camp resistant to the notion that she belongs there. She does not want to be defined by illness, surrounded by individuals she assumes have surrendered to it, or treated differently by outsiders. This gives the film a prickly edge.
However, the problem lies in how quickly her resistance melts away. Conflicts are introduced, resolved, and sometimes forgotten before they can deepen. Some supporting characters remain one-dimensional, and the dialogue often feels as if adults are writing for teenagers rather than allowing the young characters to speak for themselves.
The film shines when it focuses on what unites the group: unprocessed trauma, fear of relapse, and the experience of being viewed through the lens of illness. These shared anxieties add texture to the ensemble, even if the screenplay doesn’t give every character equal depth.
The screenplay also contains a late twist that initially felt manipulative to me. On the first viewing, it seemed like the story was reaching for one final emotional punch. However, after a second watch, my reaction changed. Jacques lays enough emotional and thematic groundwork for the reveal to be logical, even if the execution feels heavy-handed. Knowing the story’s direction also changes the impact of earlier moments.
Ramsey portrays Ivy with a guarded vulnerability without overdoing it, while Ruby Stokes nearly steals the show as Ella, infusing warmth, humor, and chaotic energy into every scene. Neil Patrick Harris wisely avoids turning camp leader Patrick into an inspirational cliché, allowing deeper sadness to surface beneath his cheerful demeanor.
The score by Este Haim and Zachary Dawes helps the film transition between playfulness and grief, while the recurring use of Scissor Sisters’ “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’” adds personality to the lighter moments. By the time Bon Iver’s “Perth” plays during the closing scenes, “Sunny Dancer" has garnered more emotion than its uneven structure would typically allow.
Although messy and uneven, and at times overly eager to direct our emotions, Sunny Dancer still finds something genuine in its compassion, chemistry, and refusal to allow illness to erase individuality.
Final Grade: B-
'SUNNY DANCER' COMES TO US THEATERS SEPT 18,
