“I Prefer Films That Are More Subdued in Their Approach”: Sierra Falconer Discusses Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)

      "Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)" is the type of independent film that you hope to find at a film festival. Written and directed by Sierra Falconer in her feature film debut, this beautiful drama draws from her own personal experiences. Set in and around Green Lake in Michigan, it consists of four stories that, as I stated in my Sundance review, “feel like bittersweet excerpts from a newly discovered Raymond Carver short story.”

      Ahead of the theatrical release of "Sunfish," kicking off this Friday, I had the opportunity to chat with Falconer about her film and its origins. We discussed everything from casting to location scouting, as well as On Golden Pond and the charm of understated films.

      The Film Stage: How do you approach something so personal? Although it’s not strictly autobiographical, you spent your childhood near that lake. Did you have moments in your life where you thought, “One day, I’ll capture these experiences”? How did everything come together?

      Sierra Falconer: The film's concept originated from this specific location. I spent every summer at that cottage during my upbringing. The grandparents' cottage is my grandmother's, and we visited it annually. As a child, there was no Wi-Fi or cell service, and it felt like we were in our own little world. There was this unique atmosphere where it seemed like we were the only people on Earth and the lake was all that mattered. The disconnection and boredom led us to simply lounge on the dock or in the hammock, and I wanted to encapsulate that sensation.

      As I matured, I began to understand what else existed around the lake. I grew up in a town about 20 minutes away, so I was quite familiar with the area. The camp, grocery store, and pub where we filmed all belonged to the community. I knew I wanted to showcase these various locations. The stories are not strictly autobiographical; they didn’t really happen to me, but I sought to identify moments of transformation or lessons learned in each character’s life, which resonated with my own experiences growing up in that environment. Ultimately, it portrays the essence of what it’s like to grow up there.

      That's really fascinating. Was there a particular story that initiated the four? Did one story lead to the others, or was the anthology idea always present?

      “The Sunfish” was the first story I wrote, featuring the young girl and her grandparents, because that felt the most personal. My grandparents are the reason I go to that cottage, and the Sunfish sailboat we used in the film belonged to my grandpa, who taught me to sail. My grandparents enjoyed bird-watching, especially the loons, and they watched On Golden Pond every summer. That’s where I began and expanded from there.

      On Golden Pond! That’s perfect. If you have an appreciation for lakes, that’s the movie to reference.

      It truly is the quintessential lake film.

      The “Summer Camp” segment with young Jun (Jim Kaplan) practicing felt very relatable for me since I played saxophone in school, though not as well as Jun. The stress of practicing was palpable. Where did that come from? It was depicted so well—it felt like a mini Shine within your film.

      I played the violin as a child but quit after being assigned last chair at camp, which was traumatizing for me. I can’t handle being the worst at something, so I moved to sports. I played tennis throughout high school and had a similar competitive drive—feeling awful if I wasn’t excelling. I was drawing heavily from my tennis experiences since my time with the violin was brief. I love observing the learning process, especially when a competitive edge is involved. That kind of truth resonated strongly with me, so I wanted to portray that feeling and spend enough time with him to create an uncomfortable atmosphere.

      That appears to be the shortest story among the four, right? Yet the practicing and the chicken fight captured the awkwardness of that age so well. It’s such a significant moment for the main character. The specificity of that sequence is lovely. I kept thinking about Raymond Carver. When you structured it as an anthology, did you draw on any short-story writing for inspiration, or is it too distinct from that form?

      No, I absolutely admire short stories. Many of my influences come from literature rather than cinema. However, I watched quite a few anthologies as well. I aimed for something that felt like a cohesive film rather than just four standalone shorts. Some collections feel more like that than others. I was certainly searching for inspiration while creating something that felt like a complete story from beginning to end, without the narratives overlapping too much, since they are all independent.

      The lake serves as the connecting element, right? For example, in "Coffee and Cigarettes," the diner functions as that element. If you can identify that, it’s almost like taking a stroll around the lake to see what’s happening