The Sun is Also a Star

The Sun is Also a Star

Starring Yara Shahidi, Charles Melton, Jake Choi, Camrus Johnson

Directed by Ry Russo-Young

Deus ex machina is an unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel.  In film, there's countless examples of this classic definition - from the Eagles arriving just in time in the "Lord of the Rings" to Batman's utility belt having just the right thing to get the Caped Crusader out of a seemingly impossible situation, there's no shortage of examples of deus ex machina - and that's the driving force for one of the latest young adult novel-to-film adaptations, "The Sun is Also a Star."

The film centers around two immigrants with widely different worldviews.  Natasha Kingsley (Yara Shahidi), a Jamaican native, is jaded, cynical, and believes only in what she can see.  She doesn't believe in the intangible like love, and is stressed because her whole family is about to be deported back to Jamaica the following day, and she has one day to find a way to change their fate.  Daniel Bae (Charles Melton) is a South Korean native who's about to go for an interview to get into a prestigious college to become a doctor, if only because that's what his parents want for him - when all he wants is to be a poet, and who's constantly upbeat and positive, believing in the power of love and fate.

While hanging out with his friend, Daniel spots Natasha at Grand Central Station and sees her jacket, which has the words "deus ex machina" written on it - and he believes it's fate that the two connect, because he was just thinking about the concept of deus ex machina himself, so he sets out to find her.  He ends up rescuing her from an oncoming car, and shares his belief that he can make her fall in love with him within the day - but she gives him an hour.

As the two walk through the crowded streets of New York, we begin to really experience their lives and their hardships they go through - Americans who struggle with their cultural heritages and also the looming sword of Damocles that threatens to split them up for good - the impending deportation of Natasha and her family.  While the film tries to g ive credence to a higher concept about fate, ultimately it's just another young adult novel-turned-film with two very attractive leads who follow the same traditional story that never deviates from its obvious outcome - but at least the leads are charismatic enough, the filming is beautiful enough, and New York City has never looked more magical.

"Black-ish" star Yara Shahidi totally radiates as Natasha, whose tough exterior is slowly chipped away by Daniel's consistent positivity and beliefs, and her mere presence speaks volumes.  Likewise, "Riverdale" star Charles Melton oozes confidence and hope as Daniel, who believes in the power of love and struggles with his true love versus his family's wishes.  These two have easy chemistry, but again I can't help but wonder if the actors weren't young, beautiful people - Daniel literally stalks Natasha through New York because he feels it's fate that they connect, and if he was an overweight, middle-aged man, it probably wouldn't be the most epic love story ever told.  Still, Yara and Charles nail it - even if their script consists of continual repeated phrases and surface-level dialogue that seemingly continues on a loop that's endearing once it's heard, but slowly looses its magic after the fourth time or so.

New York City shines as the marvelous urban jungle, serving as the perfect backdrop for such a unique love story.  We see the streets as Natasha and Daniel walk through them, and are in awe of the visuals when they visit museums and planetariums, but the pure magic shines when they go to a karaoke-like store and Daniel serenades  Natasha with "Crimson and Clover" as the lights bounce off Natasha as she becomes enthralled with Daniel.  Director Ry Russo-Young manages to encapsulate the Big Apple in a way where you really feel for Natasha, who doesn't want to leave - even though her former case worker says it's alright since she's going to Jamaica and not some terrible country like Syria.  She whispers how much she loves the city, and we can't help but fall in love with it as well.

As far as the story is concerned, it's rather cut-and-dry, with characters making obvious decisions and in a way disproving Daniel's own feeling of fate - it's not fate if its formulaic, and that's what the script ends up being.  We get voice-overs by the actors about different concepts (although the film did teach me that South Korea controls the market in wig-making, and I finally understand why they sometimes list their last name first), and are given the run-around with Natasha and Daniel as they repeatedly share their wants, needs and concerns.  Yes, we get that Daniel thinks he can make Natasha fall in love with him - we don't need to hear it over and over.  Yes, Natasha's family is seemingly going to be deported the next day - we don't need to hear it over and over.  We want to hear more about their budding, surely-doomed relationship, but instead we get montages of them wandering around town to music playing over their talking, and don't really feel the ultimate connection they form.  It all ends up dull and formulaic, much like Natasha's original views on love itself.

While the film tries to elevate the concept of love and fate, "The Sun is Also a Star" suffers from repetitive, expositional dialogue that culminates in an obvious ending, but at least the two leads chosen had decent chemistry.

The Score: C+