In his latest review, Young Person's correspondent Max Driver shines a light on Sunny Dancer.
Have you ever stopped to think about how rarely young people with cancer are represented in film? I certainly hadn't until I watched Sunny Dancer. This film follows 17-year-old Ivy (Bella Ramsey) as she attends a sleep-away camp for teenagers with cancer, dubbed "chemo camp". Ivy makes friends with a group of unorthodox teens, and they go about making this experience the most fun and mischievous it can be.
This relatively simple concept is creatively written and delivered by 25-year-old London filmmaker George Jaques. Instead of using familiar coming-of-age tropes Sunny Dancer is filled to the brim with dark humour, and sees these struggling teens indulge in questionable activities, like drinking and smoking, without looking at them from a negative point of view.
Tonally, Sunny Dancer sits somewhere between Stand By Me, with its coming-of-age reflections on an uncertain future, and Wonder, in its compassionate portrayal of young people seen as "different".
Those looking for high-brow comedy will be disappointed, as much of the humour is derived from sexual innuendo. For example, when the main character, Ivy, meets her roommate, Ella (Ruby Stokes), for the first time, the conversation is immediately drawn to Ella’s attraction to camp counsellor Jake (Daniel Quinn-Toye). While this playful ribbing initially provides a welcome relief from the weighty issues at hand, the repetitiveness of these jokes means they eventually lose their impact.
The film's pacing and soundtrack play a huge part in building the playful atmosphere. The score by composers Zachary Dawes and Este Haim is paired with 2006 UK number one hit song "I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’" by Scissor Sisters, which is on repeat throughout. Plus the glam rock stomp contributes very nicely to the film’s sassy, upbeat energy. Oliver Loncraine's cinematography and Caitlin Spiller's editing support this too, with each shot helping the audience see the characters from a different perspective, and injecting a frantic, lively mood to the narrative.
Rising stars Ramsey and Conrad Khan deliver solid performances of sullen teens, with the supporting ensemble cast of young actors backing them up, though without doing anything remarkable. Despite very limited screen time, the supporting cast of adults Neil Patrick-Harris (playing the friendly, out-of-touch camp director), James Norton, and Jessica Gunning (playing Ivy’s "cringey" parents) make every second deeply meaningful.
Overall, Sunny Dancer succeeds as a hammy, sentimental, but ultimately dark comedy. The old clichés, "if you’re not happy with where you are in life, there's many children who would kill to be in your position", and "every cloud has a silver lining", are embodied loud and clear. Being a teenager can be confusing – and frustrating – at time, but watching Sunny Dancer helps to realise that, in spite of it all, everything is going to be just fine.
Sunny Dancer is in cinemas on 14th August 2026.
Max Driver, our young people's correspondent, is an actor and writer who lives in Kilkenny with his family and two miniature poodles. He has been in the arts since a very young age, previously a vocalist, performing in the Kings Theatre and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City, and is currently studying acting at the Lir Academy in Dublin. A keen cinephile, Max runs a monthly movie review newsletter for friends and family, and is otherwise obsessing over his top four on Letterboxd.
