SHUBHAM KUMAR

The Sun is also a star Natasha Kingsley and her family have lived in New York City for nine years. Nine years of making friends, going to school and dreaming of a better life and future plans. But those plans get cut short when they get the word that they’ll be deported back to Jamaica. Tomorrow. Distraught and confused, Natasha seeks help from a local immigration office that promises her the possibility of more time in the U.S. All she needs to do is come back in a few hours and advocate for her family. In order to pass the time, Natasha wanders around New York lost in thought. So lost in thought, in fact, that she is nearly hit by a car before a handsome stranger named Daniel saves her life. A poetic romantic, Daniel was on his way to interview for a spot at Dartmouth when he lunged to save Natasha. And with just one look into her eyes, he’s in love. Too bad Natasha doesn’t believe in love. Unless you can prove it with the scientific method, it’s not real, she believes. But Daniel is willing to take his chances. And if she’ll give him just one day, he promises to make her fall in love. POSITIVE ELEMENTS Natasha is a beautiful teen who has high hopes and dreams in the United States. And while she may be a pessimist when it comes to romantic love, she loves her family deeply and her family loves her the same way. Her parents are hardworking Jamaican immigrants who’ve devoted their time and resources to giving their children a better life. Daniel, for his part, is a romantic to the core. He believes in the power of love and works hard to convince Natasha that it’s real. Daniel also encourages her to pursue her passion for astronomy. Ironically, Daniel longs to pursue his own passion for poetry, but he feels the need to please his Asian-American parents, who expect him to become a doctor. Daniel’s father reminds him of the importance of honoring their family name with his career choice, and of placing value on one’s family instead of embracing Western-style individualist beliefs. When Daniel’s brother and father make racist comments about Natasha, she responds graciously as she makes choices to either ignore them or to stand up for herself. Elsewhere, an immigration lawyer offers to help Natasha, pro bono. When a train breaks down on the subway, its operator calms passengers by reminding them of the brevity of life and the importance of cherishing each moment. Daniel volunteers at a children’s hospital in the Bronx where he writes poems with patients to distract them from their pain. The intertwining of lives is a huge theme throughout the film. SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS The ideas of fate and destiny are primary themes throughout the entire movie. Daniel believes in both, while Natasha believes in neither. Daniel’s main goal is to convince Natasha that both are real and that they play a very active role in life. He does this when he tells Natasha that they were fated to meet, that the “Universe” wants them to be together and that she should open her heart to “destiny.” Natasha wears a sweatshirt that reads “Deus ex Machina” (a Latin phrase referring to the idea of God interfering with the likely outcome of a story). This saying is something that Daniel repeats to himself at the beginning of the movie, suggesting that a “higher power” is in control of seemingly random events. Daniel urges Natasha to choose openness to the idea of fate. Natasha attributes the creation