By: Ava Rogha
New Yorker Natasha Kingsley (Yara Shahidi) and her family are being deported back to Jamaica. The girl is spending her final day in New York speaking to caseworkers rather than spending time with her close friends. It’s pretty clear that Natasha is not going to give up without a fight, but will she succeed?
The Sun Is Also a Star (2019) is a romantic drama that explores the relationship between high school students, Daniel Bae (Charles Melton) and Natasha Kingsley, who have only got one day together before the girl gets deported back to Jamaica. However, Natasha is a fighter and she will do everything in her power to stay in the place she calls home, with the boy she’s fallen in love with.
"I love this part of getting to know someone. How every piece of new information, every new expression seems magical."
It all starts when Korean-American Daniel is on his way to an interview for Dartmouth College. As he's looking down at Grand Central Station, he spots Natasha in the busy crowd. The girl’s beauty and charm catches his eyes immediately, but what’s even more interesting to Daniel is Natasha’s jacket. The jacket has got “Deux ex machina” written on it, which is a term Daniel had been thinking about that morning. According to Merriam Webster the term is used to describe a person or a thing that is introduced unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an insoluble difficulty.
Daniel follows Natasha into the subway and gets off at the same stop as her. He walks behind her towards her destination, but it’s not until Natasha nearly gets herself in an accident that she notices Daniel. Daniel jumps in to save her life and spends some extra time with her to make sure she’s not injured.
He is confident and fearless, and makes it clear from the beginning that his intentions are to make Natasha fall in love with him. He has a strong personality and believes in fate. That’s why him and Natasha have been crossing lines all day, not because he followed her around the city.
“What is falling in love? A series of small coincidences that we say means everything because we want to believe that our tiny lives matter on a galactic scale. But falling in love doesn’t even begin to compare on the formation of the universe.”
Natasha on the other hand, does not believe in romance and love. They’re just hormones of excitement! As long as they’re not scientifically proven, they do not exist.
Despite Natasha’s mindset, Daniel asks for an hour to convince her otherwise. He is determined to have the beauty fall for him by the end of the day. As the two spend some time together, they slowly form a platonic bond. But, it sadly ends there considering Natasha’s hour is up…or maybe not! Luckily, Natasha’s appointment gets extended a couple of hours, and that gives Daniel more time to prove that love does exist!
The two spend those hours roaming New York City, visiting Daniel’s family business and even doing some karaoke. If you’ve never been to New York, this is your chance to explore the city! Each scene is beautifully shot, and you get an insight of the people and the buildings of this lively city.
"Carl Sagan once said that human beings are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it’s forever. Thirteen point eight billion years ago, the Big Bang created the stars, the planets, the galaxies. Observable fact, rational thought, pure science. Perfect. The Big Bang also led to my home, New York. A city filled with humanity, dreams, loss, love. The choice we make. The path we choose. I always believed it would take a lifetime to understand the human heart. In the end, all it took was a single day."
Natasha finally starts feeling attracted to Daniel, even to the point of imagining her future with him. Natasha’s imagination is presented in flash forwards of what could have been if the two got married. They almost trick you into thinking the two really did end up together!
Daniel’s point is finally proven to Natasha by the time of her interview. She has definitely gained some romantic feelings for him and the two spend the night together underneath the stars.
But, unfortunately, reality is awaiting Natasha the next day. She is getting deported back to Jamaica. This is where fantasy meets reality. During the little time the couple got together, they thought time was stoppable, but the next day, Natasha was waving Daniel goodbye at the airport.
"Daniel, I know you think that us meeting is fate or destiny, or whatever, but it can’t be real, because I’m probably never going to see you again!"
This is probably one of the most realistic romantic dramas that have been created in a while. Even though it seems slightly odd that Daniel got Natasha to fall in love with him in a day, their love story is rather believable than dramatized.
The viewers were told about Natasha’s deportation before she and Daniel fell in love. The creators greatly handled the tragic reality of Natasha by turning it into something beautiful and romantic. This was an issue that really bothered this girl and the fact that she spent her final day in the United States with the guy she loves, is what makes this movie so special.
You may think that the movie has a tragic ending, like most romantic dramas, but it doesn’t! You will have to watch to find out for yourself, but it’s totally worth it. You should also check out the novel with the same title for a more in-depth experience!
"But you got to admit, this definitely proves my point. Fate is real."
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