Warner Bros. and MGM have released the first trailer for the highly anticipated upcoming YA adaptation The Sun Is Also a Star. Based on the book of the same name by Nicola Yoon, the film stars Yara Shahidi (Black-ish) as a Jamaica-born woman named Natasha who meets and falls in love with a college-bound romantic named Daniel (Charles Melton) in the course of a single day. However, as her family faces deportation and with hours left on her last day in the U.S., Natasha finds herself fighting against the world—and her own feelings.

This appears to be far from your average YA adaptation. For one thing, the cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Palo Alto) is flat-out gorgeous, bringing an intimate, cinematic tone to the proceedings under the direction of Ry Russo-Young, who herself has been working to craft unique films like Before I Fall and Nobody Walks. Seriously, this movie just looks incredible.

Beyond the stunning aesthetics, this is also clearly not just an immigrant story, but a love story between two minorities living in the United States. That inherently makes the film feel refreshing and unique, just as films like The Big Sick and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before brought fresh perspectives to well-worn genres. So yeah, adding all of this together, combined with this arresting debut trailer, and The Sun Is Also a Star has just made a pleasantly surprising appearance on my “most anticipated films of 2019” list.

Check out the The Sun Is Also a Star trailer below. The film also stars John Leguizamo and opens in theaters on May 17th.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Sun Is Also a Star:

College-bound romantic Daniel Bae and Jamaica-born pragmatist Natasha Kingsley meet—and fall for each other—over one magical day amidst the fervor and flurry of New York City.  Sparks immediately fly between these two strangers, who might never have met had fate not given them a little push.  But will fate be enough to take these teens from star-crossed to lucky in love?  With just hours left on the clock in what looks to be her last day in the U.S., Natasha is fighting against her family’s deportation as fiercely as she’s fighting her budding feelings for Daniel, who is working just as hard to convince her they are destined to be together.

 

A modern-day story about finding love against all odds, “The Sun Is Also a Star” explores whether our lives are determined by fate or the random events of the universe.

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