Rich green canopies and crystal water shimmering in sunlight, the opening scenes of “Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)” immerses viewers immediately into a quintessential northern Michigan setting.Green Lake is the film’s main character, the only consistent through line of the feature film premiering in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. And it’s also a place that Writer-Director Sierra Falconer knows best.Falconer describes her film as loosely autobiographical, mainly in the depiction of place and “emotional truth.”Sierra Falconer’s film “Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)” is her directorial debut, exploring elements of her own experience growing up on the shores of Green Lake. Credit: Courtesy of Sundance Institute | Photo by Trina Pham“The autobiographical part of the film is just that this is where I grew up, and I think you can learn a lot about a person by understanding where they’re from. I’m trying to, as truthfully as possible, capture what it felt like to grow up there,” she said. “Those moments and the lessons that the characters learn are true to me and what I learned growing up.”The anthology film follows four residents of the small town, broken into four chapters — “Sunfish,” “Summer Camp,” “Two Hearted” and “Resident Bird” — that circle the lake, both geographically and metaphorically.“From a writing perspective, I wanted the movie to feel full circle, and I wanted it to sort of mimic a traditional structure that you see in a movie, so there’s coming and going,” Falconer said.Beginning with “Sunfish” was in part because it was the first chapter she wrote, but also because it is the most heavily influenced by Falconer’s own life — a granddaughter with her grandparents. “We shot in my grandma and grandpa’s cottages. That sunfish sailboat she’s sailing belonged to my grandfathers, and so there was just a lot of me in that one,” she said.When it came to the acting, Falconer said they cast a wide net and flew each actor into the small Michigan town. Maren Heary’s character in “Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)” is the opening story, showing a young girl as she learns to sail. Credit: Courtesy of Sundance Institute | Photo by Marcus Patterson“We were just looking for the people that were best for the roles and people who authentically captured the northern Michigan spirit, even though most of the people weren’t from there,” she said.Coincidentally one actor, Tenley Kellogg, who featured in the last chapter “Resident Bird,” grew up in Green Lake.“Growing up there, I think it was really cool to, like, walk into the grocery store and I look over and, ‘Oh, there’s my teacher,’” Kellogg said with a laugh.Her chapter follows a pair of sisters who run a bed and breakfast on the lake. Kellogg’s co-star, Emily Hall, said the two spent three months developing a relationship to reflect a more-authentic sisterly dynamic.“We would meet up once a week and hang out and just get to know each other,” Hall said. “She’s so present in all of her work, so I think just being able to work off of that was a gift.”“I do still refer to her when I’m hanging out with my friends, ‘Oh yeah, my film sister,’” said Kellogg. “That sisterly bond that was formed, hopefully it went out onto the screen as strong as it was off of the screen.”One scene in “Resident Bird,” in which the two girls get into a fight, is inspired by Falconer’s own childhood growing up with sisters.“At the end where they just look at each other and frown until they start laughing — and that’s all that needs to be said, and they’ve made up — I think that’s very authentic to my relationship with my sisters, where you just get in a blowout argument, and then five minutes later you just pretend like that never happened,” she said.Of the four chapters, “Two Hearted” is the most tonally different, following a young single mother, played by Karsen Liotta, whose coming-of-age has already long past.“I initially had an audition for, I believe it was Emily’s part. And I read through that, and I was like, I feel a little too old for it, for some reason,” Liotta said. “But then I’m reading my part, and I was like, this just makes so much more sense to me, like I connect with this more.”Falconer said she knew that chapter was the most different, but also knew it needed to be included. “That chapter is bringing a lot of things that I think are true about this place, which is, there’s people there that are worn down by small town life and just want to leave, but they can’t. And the rest of the stories, I think, are sort of idealizing this place. I hope ‘Two Hearted’ can shine a light on the fact that not everybody feels like this,” she said.It’s also the only chapter with an element of magical realism, she said, intended to emphasize the character’s drive to find something to believe in.Falconer’s husband, Grant Ellison, served as producer for the film.“When we were discussing shooting something on-location in northern Michigan, where I’m from also, it just made sense for me to take the producer role, because I knew the location, I knew the people and could make things happen,” Ellison said.Each chapter of “Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)” explores a different perspective of lake life, from a high-end summer camp to a bed and breakfast to a grandparents’ cabin. Credit: Courtesy of Sundance Institute | Photo by Marcus PattersonHaving this shared project premiere at Sundance Film Festival as Falconer’s directorial debut is her “best-case scenario.”“I just can’t even believe it. It still doesn’t even feel real. And I’m so thrilled and excited for everyone that worked on this film, with a lot of early-career artists, and so it means a lot to everyone on the film,” she said.“We’ve been scheming this for a long time, so to see that play out in a way that’s big for (Falconer’s) career is exciting,” Ellison added.The actors said the Sundance premiere will be the first time many of the cast from each chapter will actually meet.“I’m excited for everybody to meet and to talk and share stories and experiences and whatever because we were all in the same place for about the same amount of time,” Liotta said.As for the audience, Falconer said she looks forward to more conversations after the showings.“I love hearing about people’s favorite chapter and what people connected to. … I think it says a lot about a person which one they choose,” she said.Kellogg, as a Michigander herself, said she hopes “other people feel that small town like, ‘Oh yeah, I kind of know everybody here’ (feeling) as well as those summer camp feelings, because that’s what I feel whenever I think of this film, especially filming it. It was like going to summer camp.” ‘Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)’ in-person screening10 a.m., Jan. 26, The Ray Theatre 2:30 p.m., Jan. 27, Megaplex Redstone 4 Noon, Jan. 30, Egyptian Theatre 12:30 p.m., Jan. 31, Broadway Centre Cinemas 6Online8 a.m., Jan. 30 through 11:55 p.m., Feb. 2The post Sierra Falconer’s directorial debut film ‘Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)’ explores place-specific truth appeared first on Park Record.