The Sun Never Sets

2026 1h 42m EN

🤯

9.5

MASTERPIECE

🍅

79%

FRESH

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★9.5TMDB · 2🍅79%Rotten Tomatoes★7.2IMDB · 21

RomanceDramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

While on an unexpected break from her older, divorced boyfriend, a woman runs into her ex-partner, plunging her into a volatile love triangle that threatens to undo her life.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Dakota Fanning
Wendy
Jake Johnson
Jack
Cory Michael Smith
Chuck
Debby Ryan
Lindsay
Karley Sciortino
Sara
Lamorne Morris
Jack's Friend
Anna Konkle
Elizabeth
Drew Angle
Drew

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joe Swanberg
Writers: Joe Swanberg
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joe Swanberg, shot by Eon Mora. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joe Swanberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Dakota Fanning and Jake Johnson and Cory Michael Smith carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt37818327 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joe Swanberg directs. Eon Mora behind the camera. Joe Swanberg cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
2Directed by Joe Swanberg, shot by Eon Mora. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Editor Joe Swanberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
4Dakota Fanning and Jake Johnson and Cory Michael Smith carry the top of the cast.
5IMDB entry: tt37818327 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
6Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Eon Mora
Editing: Joe Swanberg
Production design: Aaron Bailey
Costume design: Jewells Santos
Sound: Martín Hernández
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Sun Never Sets (2026)
Rotten Tomatoes: 79% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 21 votes

Also by

Joe Swanberg

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Brent Marchant2026-08-20
★ 3/10
We’ve all probably been through episodes of indecisiveness at some point in our lives, experiences in which we can honestly say we really don’t know what we want. Those circumstances can indeed be frustrating, too, leaving us unable to determine which path to pursue. But how we go about fixing such situations is what truly matters most, and this latest effort from writer-director Joe Swanberg is a prime example of what not to do. Thirty-one-year-old Wendy (Dakota Fanning), a construction equipment operator in Anchorage, Alaska, is a walking paradox. In some ways, she comes across as supremely cool, calm and collected, while at other times she appears adrift and unfocused – a combination of traits that illustrates she doesn’t know what she ultimately wants out of life. For two years, she’s been dating Jack (Jake Johnson), an older, divorced single father of two who gushingly adores her but also openly admits he’s not interested in remarrying – anyone – or having more children. What’s more, despite his avowed affection for Wendy, he senses she’s unsettled and urges her to take some time to find herself (whatever that might involve). It’s a suggestion that leaves her decidedly uncomfortable, making her feel as though Jack doesn’t love her as much as he says he does. That all changes, however, when she has a chance encounter with her ex-boyfriend, Chuck (Cory Michael Smith), a bad boy tourist pilot who recently moved back to Anchorage. Despite Chuck’s checkered past, he and Wendy quickly take up where they left off, a decision Jack finds highly suspect. He sees Wendy’s reinvolvement with Chuck as a mistake, and he abruptly pivots from his long-held no-strings relationship stance, spontaneously prompting him to profess his undying love to marry her and add to his progeny. But Wendy’s unwillingness to capitulate to his proposal subsequently launches them onto a new trajectory, effectively initiating an unending series of on-again/off-again romantic interludes involving the three members of this hapless love triangle. A few timely appearances by Jack’s new girlfriend, Sara (Karley Sciortino), are also thrown in for good measure, infusing the narrative with elements of jealousy and calculated leverage. From here, however, the story grows progressively circular, repetitive and shrill – and I didn’t buy any of it. The actions of these characters become more than a little too convenient to be credible, and they all (except Sara) exhibit a level of immaturity on par with that of junior high school students. What’s more, I’m at a loss to understand why anyone could, would or should care a whit about any of these individuals or their problems, especially considering how ineptly they handle them. And the resulting melodrama just keeps going on…and on…and on, a fitting metaphor for the never-ending daylight afforded by Alaska’s Midnight Sun (not to mention an apt reflection of the film’s title). To be sure, “The Sun Never Sets” boasts some gorgeous cinematography of the Alaskan wilderness (if only there were more of it) and a fine background soundtrack, but, if those are the best things one can say about a film, that’s not saying much. To be sure, romance is one of those areas of life that can be a tremendous source of indecisiveness, but, as it’s treated here, one might be better off remaining single.

Production companies