The Big Picture

Nico Parker shines in the trailer for Searchlight Pictures’ upcoming comedy drama Suncoast, alongside Laura Linney and Woody Harrelson. The film follows a teenage girl who struggles to gain attention at home and in her social life. Suncoast is a semi-autobiographical story, marking Laura Chinn’s directorial debut and drawing from her own experiences as a caretaker for her brother.

Nico Parker is just trying to get someone to notice her in a trailer for Searchlight Pictures’s upcoming comedy drama, Suncoast. Not much has been revealed about the Laura Chinn (Florida Girls) helmed production. The movie picked up cameras and kicked off filming back in September 2022, and the release of the new trailer finally shows off the Sundance-bound picture. Along with Parker, who audiences will recognize from her roles in the HBO hit series The Last of Us and Tim Burton’s live-action Dumbo, Suncoast also stars Laura Linney (Ozark) and Woody Harrelson (Venom: Let There Be Carnage).

Completely invisible at school, the Suncoast trailer sees Parker’s character, Doris, a struggling even more to get some recognition at home. Her mother’s (Linney) attention is completely taken up by her brother, who’s struggling with a debilitating illness. When her mother takes up residency at the care facility to be closer to her brother, Parker’s character takes a break from her caretaker responsibilities and takes advantage of having an empty house. Now able to call her home the number one party destination for her peers, the main character picks up social steam at her school. After she strikes up an unlikely friendship with an activist (Harrelson), she realizes that she needs to better balance her private life with her close connection to her brother before he passes away.

Filling out the ensemble cast of Suncoast is a call sheet that includes Ella Anderson (The Boss), Daniella Taylor (Grown-ish), Keyla Monterroso Mejia (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Matt Walsh (The Do-Over), Scott MacArthur (The Mick), Ariel Martin (Zombies 2), and Amarr (Knight Squad). With a cast this stacked, Suncoast promises to deliver captivating performances alongside its coming-of-age story.

‘Suncoast’ is a Semi-Autobiographical Story

Chinn’s feature directorial debut is a project close to her heart, as Suncoast is a semi-autobiographical telling of her upbringing, specifically as serving as one of the primary caretakers for her ill brother. While this may be her first time sitting in the director’s chair, it certainly wasn’t Chinn’s first rodeo in the writer’s room. In the past, the actress and scribe has penned scripts for popular comedies, including The Mick and Children’s Hospital, as well as the Pop TV series, Florida Girls, which she also created and starred in.

Suncoast will join other titles including A24 and Rose Glass’s Love Lies Bleeding, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s Freaky Tales, and Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain in celebrating its premiere at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival. Suncoast will then arrive for streaming on Hulu on February 9. Check out the trailer below.