‘Sun Is Also a Star’ more restrained than expected
Nicola Yoon traded in a secure job in the financial sector to become a novelist after the birth of her child.
“I wanted my daughter to be able to see herself in media,” Yoon — a Jamaican-born black woman married to a Korean-American — told Bustle.com. “It’s important that everyone get to see themselves as the hero of a story.”
Her YA romance “Everything, Everything” became a bestseller and was made into a (less well-received) movie, and now her follow-up, “The Sun Is Also a Star,” is hitting the big screen. Yara Shahidi, of “black-ish” and “grown-ish” fame, stars as Natasha Kingsley, a nononsense New Yorker who doesn’t have time for mushy-headed romance — particularly not the day before her entire family is being deported (er, “voluntarily departing”) to their native Jamaica.
Daniel Bae (Charles Melton), a firstgeneration Korean-American who digs the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Tupac Shakur, has other ideas. When he spots a meaningful phrase on the back of Natasha’s jacket, he takes it as a sign and decides to heed the advice of the wise voice on the subway intercom: “Always remember to open up your heart to destiny.” He asks for one day to convince her that love is more than just hormones, and they were meant to meet.
If you’re experiencing a little gastric reflux right now, then “The Sun Is Also a Star” is obviously not for you. But although this love story is undeniable gauzy, it’s actually more restrained than the setup implies — indeed, maybe a bit too restrained for the target audience. Under the perfectly paced direction of Ry Russo-Young (“Before I Fall”), Shahidi and Melton develop an easy chemistry on the way toward a satisfying denouement that’s neither tear-jerking tragedy nor fairy-tale wish fulfillment.
The narrative strikes a similar balance in exploring the cultural dynamics at work. The plot hinges on implicit sympathy for undocumented immigrants, but the political messaging isn’t shouted from a soapbox. At the same time, these characters don’t just “happen to be” people of color. Daniel has to contend with a father (Keong Sim) who wants a-doctor-not-a-poet in the family and a brother (Jake Choi) who’s, shall we say, a little conflicted on matters of race.
There’s even a delightful little primer, complete with goofy retro graphics, on how Korean immigrants developed a semi-monopoly on “black hair care.” It all feels organic and necessary, not tacked-on or preachy.
That said, “The Sun Is Also a Star” has drawn charges of “colorism” for the casting of the two leads. Shahidi, whose parents are Persian and African-American, is noticeably lighter skinned (and silkier-haired) than the actors playing her Jamaican family. And Melton (best known for “Riverdale”) is of mixed white and Korean heritage, leading some to see yet another example of Hollywood’s reluctance to feature people of color who don’t look quite “familiar” enough for the comfort of white audiences.
As a white male movie reviewer, I’m hardly the person to adjudicate the issue. But I’ll say this much: I certainly noticed the visual incongruities, which is why I ended up googling those critiques in the first place.