By John Corrado

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 5th to 15th, more information can be found right here.

In her new film Sunshine, Filipina writer-director Antoinette Jadaone crafts a gritty and grounded teenage drama, that offers an interesting glimpse at life in the Philippines from a perspective that I hadn’t really seen before. The film follows Sunshine (Maris Racal), a teenaged gymnast who is about to qualify for a spot on the national team, when she discovers that she is pregnant.

The pregnancy will put her athletic career into jeopardy, but abortions are illegal in the deeply Catholic country (religious messages and iconography are constantly seen in the background, right next to where illegal abortion pills are being sold). Sunshine also finds her own faith being tested, with her pastor’s son boyfriend (Elijah Canlas), who got her pregnant, rebuking his own responsibility and callously telling her to get it taken care of.

Much of the film follows Sunshine as she tries to find abortifacient medication on the black market, and the complications that ensue from this. Meanwhile, Sunshine starts being trailed by a mysterious little girl (played by Annika Co in a confident, precocious performance), who seems to know a lot about her life. It’s this almost magical realist subplot that will be the most debated aspect of the film and what it represents. Jadaone leaves it open enough to interpretation.

Jadaone’s film is maybe a touch heavy-handed in places, but still a pretty nuanced and even-keeled exploration of its tough subject matter, that allows for some ambiguity. While audiences will come to the film with their own beliefs intact, Jadaone’s approach to the issue of abortion itself doesn’t feel flippant or celebratory, merely showing the realities of someone trying to access the procedure illegally. It works best as a glimpse at what life is like in the Philippines, held together by Racal’s emotionally demanding performance.

Film Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)