'The Last Sunrise' Review: A Personal Portrait of Resilience in the Face of Borrowed Time
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By Shauna Bushe - August 27, 2026
The Last Sunrise is another adapted novel from author Colleen Hoover and directed by Carlson Young (Scream tv series, Upgraded).
What is The Last Sunrise about?
College dancer Oriah (Maia Reficco) lives with a rare chronic illness and longs for a normal life. For the summer with her mother, Isolde (Eva Longoria) she visits the island of Mallorca when an unexpected, passionate romance with a local fisherman turns her getaway upside down. Oriah must face a heart-breaking choice: play it safe for an uncertain future or embrace the present while she can.
Frame after frame is saturated with the sun-drenched beauty of Mallorca. Contrasting with glistening oceans and lively docks against the islands rich, cultural backdrop. Visually, the film is stunning to look at, with old stone architecture and water so clear it looks painted.
Yet, beneath that polished surface lies a far heavier and more vulnerable emotional core. The core of the film belongs to Oriah (Maia Reficco), a twenty-two-year-old waging an everyday war for normalcy against a body that betrays her. Constrained by a mother who sees only her illness, Oriah’s fleeting holiday romance dissolves, leaving her personal fight for identity at the centre of the story.
As someone living with a chronic illness, watching Oriah’s story unfold felt painfully authentic. Even when the narrative falls into predictable territory, it never loses its focus. Rather than using the illness for cheap sympathy, or dramatic flair, The Last Sunrise confronts those hard realities with a precision that deeply mirrors the lived experience.
There is the added dynamic with Julián (Fernando Lindez) who plays a local Spaniard and unexpectedly draws her out of her shell, giving the film its romantic pulse. Their relationship develops with predictable narrative beats such as the secret of her illness hovering like a shadow, and the looming reality of an inevitable departure. The emotional payoff lands genuinely, avoiding feel-good clichés. Despite the usual tropes, playful banter, a karaoke showdown, and outside forces threatening to drive them apart, their connection feels grounded. You find yourself genuinely rooting for their happy ending.
In the end, The Last Sunrise is heartfelt, emotionally resonant, and anchored by a deeply relatable lead performance. It transcends its glossy romantic packaging to stand as a charming, moving piece of film that balances breath-taking aesthetics with an extraordinarily truthful look at chronic illness, self-discovery, and the courage it takes to live fully on your own terms.
'The Last Sunrise' released on Prime Video August 26, 2026.
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