A UK import, the comedy-drama Sunny Dancer doesn’t add much new to the teenage camp genre, but it has fantastic performances and a bawdy heart it proudly wears on its sleeve.
Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) plays Ivy, a teenage girl in remission from cancer who is sent by her well-meaning parents (played by “Baby Reindeer’s” Jessica Gunning and “House of the Dragon’s” James Norton) to a camp for kids like her. Mostly moody with occasional flashes of spirit, Ivy has absolutely no interest in going to “chemo camp,” but her parents insist it will be good for her, so off she goes.
After a bit of embarrassing chit-chat between her mom and some of the camp kids, Ivy says goodbye to her parents and meets her cabin-mate, Ella (Ruby Stokes), a girl with one very specific mission for camp that summer: lose her virginity. But not to just anyone. She has her sights set firmly on camp counselor Tristan (Louis Gaunt).
Ella tries to bring Ivy into her group of misfit friends, and even though Ivy eventually concedes, she’s not exactly the warmest person in the world. But just as Winnie the Pooh and friends always made room for gloomy Eeyore, this group takes Ivy under its wing.
Ivy is also outspoken and clearly still carrying a lot of anger over having had cancer in the first place, which soon puts her at odds with the head of the camp, Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris). After a few warnings, Ivy risks being sent home. But with the guidance of her new friends, she begins to find her way—even if that path is as twisty and turny as she is.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a teenage camp movie without a little romance. Ivy develops a bit of a tingle for blue-eyed Jake (Daniel Quinn-Toye), a sweet guy who feels more grounded than the rest of the bunch, which includes level-headed Maisie (Jasmine Elcock), resident clown Ralph (Earl Cave), and the quiet Archie (Conrad Khan).
The basic story flow of Sunny Dancer isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. Ivy is rebellious but finds her crew and gradually opens up. Her friends each have their own quests and backstories, which in turn help Ivy grow. And you know there will eventually be some sad incident that drives everything home.
What sets the film apart is the unabashed script by writer/director George Jaques (Black Dog), which doesn’t shy away from the way teenagers actually talk. There are F-bombs and sex talk mixed right alongside conversations about cancer and death. It feels natural, although ironically, it may prevent some of the younger viewers who could appreciate the film most from being allowed to see it. None of it feels offensive or gratuitous—it’s simply teens being teens—but I can certainly imagine some parents wanting their kids to wait until they’re a little older. In America, this would almost certainly be rated R.
That said, the performances are the real standouts here, especially Bella Ramsey, who completely immerses herself in a character with layers and layers of emotions to deal with. Ramsey navigates them with a humanity and empathy that can sometimes get lost in this genre. There’s nothing superficial about Ivy. Even when it feels like there might be, there isn’t.
And that extends to the film itself. It feels reflective of teenagers today: how they talk, what they worry about, what they want and what they need. Throw cancer into that already complicated mix, and you have a firestorm of raging hormones, erratic emotions and very real fear.
All of the young actors here are excellent, bringing a depth of humanity to characters who might, on the surface, feel one-dimensional. And perhaps that’s part of the point. What I especially liked about this group is that the film avoids the usual “mean girl” antics and petty cruelty that so often get thrown into stories about teenagers. Despite their attitudes and occasional digressions—and while they may be rebellious with the adults at camp—they are genuinely loving and warm with one another, even when they’re teasing each other.
It’s refreshing to see, and it makes you fall in love with this little group that Ivy has unexpectedly become a part of.
Sure, nothing that happens in Sunny Dancer is particularly surprising. But the writing, direction, and performances sell it through and through. Like Ivy, I enjoyed my time at “chemo camp,” and I think plenty of others will enjoy this warm, funny, and ultimately very likable crowd-pleaser too.
Sunny Dancer is now playing in select theaters.
