Romance has always had a particular talent for making summer look like a state of mind. Sun-drenched beaches, late-night parties, impulsive decisions and the kind of connection that seems destined to last forever are familiar ingredients, but they can still work when a story gives its characters enough room to make those feelings believable. Prime Video’s The Last Sunrise, adapted from Anna Todd’s novel, certainly has the right atmosphere. What it lacks is the emotional depth to make its central romance linger after the credits.
Directed by Carlson Young, the film follows Oriah “Ry” Pera (Maia Reficco), a young woman whose life has been heavily shaped by her chronic illness and the restrictions surrounding it. A trip to Mallorca introduces her to Julián (Fernando Lindez), a carefree local who encourages her to experience life outside the boundaries she has grown accustomed to. For Ry, the island becomes an opportunity to stop planning every moment around what might happen next and finally concentrate on what is happening now.
It is a promising setup, particularly because the film has something more interesting underneath its conventional summer romance. Ry isn’t simply rebelling because she wants to have fun. Her frustration comes from feeling as though her illness has already dictated the shape of her life. That conflict between protecting yourself and actually living could have given The Last Sunrise considerably more weight.
Instead, the screenplay often moves past its most interesting ideas before they have time to develop.
The biggest problem is the pacing of Ry and Julián’s relationship. There is attraction between them, and Reficco and Lindez have an appealing presence together, but the film accelerates their romance so quickly that the audience doesn’t get enough time to understand why these two people become so important to each other. The quieter moments of attraction are actually more effective than some of the larger romantic scenes. When the film allows their chemistry to build naturally, there is a sense that something meaningful could emerge.
That makes it frustrating when the story chooses to hurry.
Julián, in particular, is given relatively little beyond his role as the person who introduces Ry to a less restricted version of life. Lindez brings an easy charm to the character, and he fits naturally into the film’s sun-soaked world, but the screenplay doesn’t give him enough personal conflict to make him feel like a fully developed character. He works well as a romantic fantasy, less so as a person the audience can become invested in.
Reficco has more to work with. Ry’s internal conflict is at the heart of the film, and the actress gives her vulnerability without making her completely passive. The character can be frustrating at times, but that isn’t necessarily a weakness. In fact, Ry’s refusal to simply follow the path laid out for her could have been one of the film’s most compelling elements.
The issue is that The Last Sunrise doesn’t always know what to do with that contradiction.
Ry wants freedom, but freedom isn’t necessarily the same thing as escaping every responsibility. Her decisions surrounding her medication could have opened up a much richer conversation about autonomy, fear and the difficult choices people make when they feel that their future has already been decided for them. The movie touches on those questions, but rarely stays with them long enough to explore their consequences.
This also affects the relationship between Ry and her mother, Isolde, played by Eva Longoria. Surprisingly, their dynamic is arguably more emotionally interesting than the central romance. Isolde’s protectiveness can feel suffocating from Ry’s perspective, but it comes from genuine fear rather than simple parental control. She isn’t trying to prevent her daughter from having a life; she is terrified of what could happen if she stops trying to protect her.
That distinction gives their arguments considerably more emotional potential.
Longoria brings a grounded quality to Isolde, particularly in scenes where her concern clashes with Ry’s desire for independence. Their relationship feels like one between two people who love each other deeply but have completely different ideas about what that love should look like. Unfortunately, the script doesn’t explore that tension as deeply as it could. There are moments when the conflict feels like it is there primarily to move the plot forward rather than because these two characters have years of unresolved emotions between them.
Mallorca practically becomes another character in the movie. The beaches, narrow streets, warm sunlight and Mediterranean scenery give the film the exact kind of escapist quality its story needs. The cinematography embraces the golden atmosphere without making the setting feel completely disconnected from Ry’s more complicated emotional journey. There is something particularly fitting about a character who has spent so much of her life worrying about the future being surrounded by a landscape that constantly encourages her to stay in the present.
The film also understands the appeal of a summer romance on a purely sensory level. The music, nightlife and Spanish setting create a breezy rhythm that makes The Last Sunrise easy to watch, even when the story itself becomes less convincing. It is the kind of movie where the atmosphere can sometimes carry a scene further than the dialogue does.
And despite its shortcomings, the movie does have emotional moments that work. There is a sincerity underneath its familiar structure, particularly in its exploration of Ry’s relationship with her mother and her complicated desire to reclaim ownership of her own life. The problem isn’t that The Last Sunrise has nothing to say. It’s that it often seems afraid to slow down enough to say it.
There is a much richer film hiding beneath The Last Sunrise: an impossible romance, a young woman confronting her mortality, a complicated mother-daughter relationship and a setting designed for escape. What it needed was more patience. Ry and Julián needed more time to become something beyond a summer attraction, while Ry and Isolde deserved more space to confront the fears underneath their arguments.
As it stands, The Last Sunrise is an enjoyable and visually gorgeous summer romance that occasionally hints at a much more meaningful film. It may not completely deliver on the emotional possibilities of its premise, but it is far from difficult to watch. For viewers looking for a light, sentimental romance wrapped in Mallorca’s golden glow, there is enough charm here to make the trip worthwhile.
Just don’t expect the sunrise to last quite as long as the movie’s premise promises.
