After premiering in competition at Sundance earlier this year to glowing reviews, “Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)” is headed to theaters on September 12, 2025. Written and directed by Sierra Falconer and executive produced by Joanna Hogg (“The Souvenir”), the 87-minute debut has been hailed as one of the year’s most delicate discoveries, praised for its understated style and lyrical sense of place.
Set over the course of one summer in Northern Michigan, the film traces a series of interwoven stories: a girl who bonds with her grandparents through sailing and birding, a boy vying for first chair at a prestigious arts camp, a fisherman and a young mother chasing adventure and the perfect catch, and two sisters savoring their final days running a bed-and-breakfast before college pulls them apart. These vignettes portray a lakeside community caught in a fleeting season of change and self-discovery.
The ensemble cast includes Maren Heary, Jim Kaplan, Karsen Liotta, Emily Hall, Jake Giordano, and Sadie Scott, who embody the residents and visitors of Green Lake with naturalistic performances that further root the film in its wistful, small-town setting.
Falconer, who studied at Wesleyan and UCLA, directs with a quiet confidence that belies her debut status. The Playlist review praised her approach, noting that “Falconer’s ability to convey so much, by saying so little” lets the film breathe, evoking a sense of hope so strong it “may somehow restore your faith in humanity.”
With its wistful tone and sharp attention to everyday detail, “Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)” is poised to follow its Sundance buzz into an arthouse breakout this fall. The film opens on September 12. Watch the first trailer below.
,” Sierra Falconer’s lyrical Sundance debut executive produced by Joanna Hogg, opens September 12 with interwoven tales of small-town summer life.){kind=link}