Bella Ramsey’s new comedy-drama Sunny Dancer is now available to watch in UK cinemas. Written and directed by George Jaques, the coming-of-age film stars Ramsey alongside James Norton and follows a teenager spending the summer at a cancer camp in Scotland.
Ramsey plays 17-year-old Ivy, who is encouraged to attend a so-called “Chemo Camp” after beating cancer. Initially reluctant to be there, she finds herself surrounded by other teenagers with similar experiences and gradually begins forming new friendships and connections.
The wider cast includes Jessica Gunning and James Norton as Ivy’s parents, alongside Neil Patrick Harris, Ruby Stokes, Daniel Quinn-Toye, Earl Cave, Conrad Khan, Jasmine Elcock and Shalom Brune-Franklin.
Jaques was partly inspired to make the film by his own family’s experience with cancer, as well as teenagers he met through his work with the Teenage Cancer Trust. Rather than placing the focus on hospitals or treatment, he wanted to make a film where cancer was only one part of who these young people are, allowing their personalities and lives as teenagers to take centre stage.
The film has also received a strong early critical response, with praise particularly directed towards its humour, young ensemble and approach to the coming-of-age story.
For CultureCues, Sunny Dancer has been high on our watchlist for a while, and there is so much here that we love. Bella Ramsey leads a brilliant cast alongside James Norton and Jessica Gunning, and we are always here for a good coming-of-age story. The fact it is set in Scotland makes it even better, and the focus on teenagers whose lives are about so much more than their diagnoses gives the film a really heartfelt pull. We will definitely be catching this one on the big screen.
Sunny Dancer is out now in UK cinemas.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.