Set in Toronto, where the classic skyline the world has come to know is now a view from the top of a local building, Sunburn tells a Toronto story, set in a neighbourhood of the city we recognize. When the power goes out on the hottest day of the year, forcing local teens and twenty-somethings out of their homes and off their phones, truths are revealed and conversations happen that wouldn’t have been possible without the push outside. It does not fully explore any of its characters deeply, missing a lot of what I would want to see in a coming-of-age film and making this one a simpler slice of life. Still, with a beautiful camera that captures Toronto through a nostalgic lens, and a classic one-day story, Sunburn portrays the city we love through kind eyes and new perspectives.
It is the hottest day of the summer, and kids are circling their bedroom fans and scrolling on their phones. When the power goes out and cell service stops working, best friends Shay and Vince, as well as countless other kids, teens, and twenty-somethings, are all forced outside to try to stay cool while facing real conversations with those who would otherwise remain faces behind a screen were it not for the lack of cell phone data.
Sunburn is first and foremost a slice of life in Toronto. Telling a story of a group of kids over one extremely hot day, it is a story we recognize. Described by director Serville Poblete as his “Ladybird in the hood”, the cast is made up of Filipino, Jamaican, Guyanese, and Black actors- diversity we recognize from growing up in Toronto. The short 24 hours we spend with the characters give us glimpses into all of their lives before we met them on this summer day, and how we expect their lives to continue after the power returns and the camera stops following them.
It is a story we recognize, one that reimagines a 90s ensemble coming-of-age comedy drama if it were being made today, and a bit simpler. In a world without our cell phones for one day, how do we remain connected with those around us, and how do these archaic face-to-face conversations that were so vital in these past films impact our present-day relationships?
I will say that I felt like the film prioritized a breadth of characters rather than a deep look at any one of them. It worked as an ensemble overview of the city, but misses the mark when it comes to any lasting depth of characters. Where the director describes his film as his own Ladybird, it seems he misses the part about the relationships between characters and the overall challenging camera Gerwig paces on her protagonist, instead with Poblete prioritizing the location and showing a lot of different moving parts. It works, but it often feels more like a slice-of-life film than a coming-of-age, even though you can feel that the intent is there behind the camera.
Poblete crafts this story in a unique way, getting rid of the technology around his characters that hinders these conversations to explore themes of family, friendship, and grief. All the people we see or move past in one day push us onto some path, and it is important for us to leave the comfort of our air-conditioned homes and step out into the uncomfortable heat to truly know our community and those around us. Again, I wish each character were given a bit more to work with, but it is clear that Poblete understands the depth that exists within each of us, even if some of his intentions are a bit lost in translation to the screen.
The camera also captures the St. James neighbourhood of Toronto in such a beautiful way that it almost feels nostalgic. The colours are saturated, and the film feels like it is lost in time, even though it is set in the modern city. Paired with the loss of technology due to the power outage, Poblete reminds us that these themes of friendship, relationships, and grief are universal and timeless, and it is our communities that have continued to help us through hard times, as they must continue to do into the future.
Subburn features performances from an ensemble of diverse actors from Toronto who make the film feel like the city we know, as well as a camera that captures this neighbourhood of Toronto through such a nostalgic lens. Serville Poblete’s Toronto love letter is sure to become a relatable film for all those who have experienced just one scorching hot day in Toronto, when a community comes together to heal old wounds and try to stay cool, together, even if it lacks the depth in its characters that we know exists within each of us in Toronto.
Sunburn was screened at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Image courtesy of TIFF.
