I definitely have not fully participated in the entirety of Joe Swanberg’s filmography, but the indie darling who helped push forward the mumblecore movement is back with a feature-length film that feels like one of his more accessible works. Perhaps this is a new form he has taken following opportunities like the Netflix series Easy, which ran for three seasons. Maybe dabbling in higher-profile projects with larger budgets got Swanberg moderately interested in tackling something starring Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson, and Cory Michael Smith. Although, much like other mumblecore movies, The Sun Never Sets is a very down-to-earth slice of life with relatable situations and characters thrown in, and it’s highly conversational to the point that my screener for this film did not come with audio description, and aside from a couple of moments, Swanberg tends to keep this film supported pretty heavily by dialogue. So I wasn’t perpetually lost by stylistic choices.

We’re introduced to Wendy, played by Dakota Fanning, who is stuck in this relationship with Jack, played by Jake Johnson. He’s a bit older, coming out of a marriage that left him with a set of kids, and he’s in a different place in his life when he starts thinking about his future with Wendy. Since they’re not quite aligned on where they see their futures going, he boldly suggests that they explore other opportunities just to make sure before they commit to each other. He obviously doesn’t want to continue getting divorced for the rest of his life from various women. Wendy finds this surprising and confounding, but she takes the time to see what else is out there and whether or not there’s anybody else interesting. She ends up running into an ex of hers, Chuck, played by Cory Michael Smith, which doesn’t really help her find out if there’s anything else out there as much as it allows her to revert back to where she was before she started dating Jack.

So I suppose the interesting argument here is that if someone is looking for a future that hinges upon comfort and safety, then they’re far more likely not to take the bold risk or leap forward and continue trying new things, but perhaps revert to what’s familiar. The exploration of that through these characters is interesting because it always feels like Wendy is going to end up going back to Jack. But at the same time, those two can’t seem to pin down exactly what this quasi-separation looks like, how long it should be, or what the rules are.

For example, in a bit of a spoiler warning here, while they’re in the middle of their trial separation, Wendy gets upset at Jack because he eventually does find someone else to date in the interim and sleeps with that person. Meanwhile, Wendy is fully cohabitating with Chuck. The man has a key and everything to her place. So I found her reaction very reminiscent of the “we were on a break” argument from Friends. There’s something inherently silly about trying to put pause on a relationship and pretending there’s an intention to return to it while the feelings are still overwhelming enough for you to be jealous, almost as if the other person is supposed to be waiting during the break for you to come to your senses. The odd thing here is that it’s Jack who actually suggests the break to begin with and Wendy who takes advantage of it first. Jack is late to pick up on any other choices out there in the field, but it’s Wendy who seems aghast when he finally does.

There’s an interesting flow to The Sun Never Sets, the way it’s shaped and the way these characters bounce around somewhat realistically and somewhat cartoonishly at the same time. Swanberg’s exploration is perhaps not the best film of the year, but it’s certainly an interesting case study in why opportunities and relationships like this probably aren’t going to work. If you are already comfortable with the idea of seeing other people for a period of time and allowing the other person to see other people in the meantime, perhaps there’s a deeper question already to be had about the permanence of the relationship and the inevitability of its demise.

I think the most creative thing Swanberg actually does is with the ending, throwing us back to a moment in the film that doesn’t feel like it’s anything when it happens. Yet he plants little seeds throughout that lead you to the ending so that it feels like the perfect resolution and sort of an inspired choice. As you debate who may end up with whom, what becomes more interesting is how trapped Wendy seems to be by continuing to date men she’s familiar with. Obviously, if we’re going to progress her character, the goal would be to give her a new option, even though she seems incredibly reluctant to take one. Her character growth is rooted in taking new chances, something that she discusses toward the beginning with Jack when she talks about getting on a boat as sort of a metaphor for the journey ahead, an adventure that she’s still hoping to take. Swanberg manages to pull all of that together in a nice and tidy fashion.

I’m still impressed and oddly bothered by Dakota Fanning growing up. I still think of her so often as the child actress from all those movies, and I’m still having a hard time acclimating to her doing films like this. But I love how she continues to mature and tackle roles that she finds interesting while working with actors and directors she continues to find interesting. For Jake Johnson, this role is pretty spot-on perfect for him. He seems born for this type of content. He’s very much an actor who handles a lot of dialogue, not someone who’s meant to just stand in silence and quietly emote. The fact that he’s given a lot of space to do that here really brings us along with his performance. And Cory Michael Smith continues to intrigue with another performance as he builds his resume.

If you get a chance to see The Sun Never Sets as it expands across the country from Independent Film Company, I think you should. It’s a small film, but if we don’t watch small films, then they’re just going to keep going to streaming services, and eventually theaters will just be tentpole releases and reissues. We’re already sort of in a weird structure when it comes to things actually playing in theaters. I think it’s possible that if we remember to support films like this, even though we know they’re probably going to be available digitally before long, we might actually get more of them.

That’s one of the things I’ve noticed coming out of the pandemic. We have fewer and fewer breakaway indie hits because the new formula doesn’t really allow for them. Everything moves at a pace where films end up on video on demand so quickly that movies that once would have gradually expanded, starting in New York and Los Angeles, moving into major markets, then into a moderately wide release before finally going wide based on word of mouth, don’t have that kind of time anymore. That’s a four-week plan. By week four now, a film might already be available to rent or purchase from the comfort of your living room. We’re losing the ability to platform and wow people with indie films. Either a distributor has to take a risk upfront and give something a much wider release, or it has to expand much quicker, which can be a gamble.

Hopefully stars like Dakota Fanning and Jake Johnson will bring enough eyes to The Sun Never Sets that people will head out and support another festival darling from earlier in the year as it hopes to win you over. Joe Swanberg hasn’t just returned to form. He’s likely improved it with the help of Fanning and Johnson in a pleasant dissection of modern relationships.

Fresh: 6.8/10