Sunshine (2024) review

This film is the embodiment of “my body, my choice.” But what made it interesting for me is that it does not present that choice as something emotionally simple. There is this constant push and pull within Sunshine, and I appreciate that internal struggle. There is also the dilemma of choosing between her dreams and her morals, while facing the judgment of other people, especially religious ones. I like how it starts by using the kid almost like an inner voice or conscience, then gradually turns that into a glimpse of the possible future. By the end, though, that device started feeling like confirmation bias to me, as if the film needed that imagined voice to validate the decision Sunshine already wanted to make. Before watching this, I didn’t think I would be able to sit through a film centered on this subject. But the angle of Sunshine being alone in her fight pulled me in. At the same time, I don’t want to sound misogynistic or like I’m victim blaming, but I just felt that the film lacked a little sense of accountability on her part. Yes, her conscience is there, but I still felt like something was missing. I know the lack of sex education is one of the bigger issues surrounding everything, but in her specific situation, it still takes two to tango. She made the decision to have unprotected sex. That does not mean placing all the blame on her or ignoring the responsibility of the man involved. I just wanted one small moment where she says, in some form, “I made a mistake too.” For me, that would have added another layer to her internal struggle before the story moves toward finding a way to end the pregnancy. That tiny admission would have made the conflict feel more complete to me instead of focusing mostly on blame and finding a solution to remove the fetus growing inside her. That’s just my two cents. I only needed that tiny detail of her admitting it on screen. Maybe part of why I react this way is because I can vividly remember when someone I used to date suddenly pranked me and told me she was pregnant back when we were in college. I was young and broke, and you know what immediately came into my mind? What belongings did I own that I could sell to support the pregnancy and the child? Even at that age, my instinct was that I could never give up my own flesh and blood. But yeah, as the film shows, there are also a lot of trash men who wouldn’t think twice about abandoning their child. The ending feels like another confirmation bias to me because I cannot personally buy into the idea of a child inside the womb being able to understand the mother’s emotional situation, communicate with her, and essentially give approval to the decision she is about to make. I understand what the scene is trying to accomplish emotionally, but I don’t completely agree with the device. I may not agree with the ending, but I appreciate the bold and brave presentation of such a controversial topic in the Philippines. Truly cinematic DNA. Confrontational and political. I love how it thematically tackles so many issues aside from teenage pregnancy, including rape, abortion laws, poverty, illegal drugs, religion, judgment, responsibility, controlling men, and a woman trying to figure out how much control she actually has over her own future. I may not agree with everything the film ultimately says, but I appreciate that it had the courage to say it this loudly.