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Movie Review: The Last Sunrise (2026) – A Beautiful Mallorca Romance That Struggles to Rise Above Familiar Melodrama
The Last Sunrise is a 2026 English romantic drama directed by Carlson Young and adapted from Anna Todd’s 2025 novel of the same name. The film stars Maia Reficco as Oriah “Ry” Pera, Fernando Lindez as Julián, Eva Longoria as Ry’s mother Isolde, and Sabrina Bartlett as Prisha.
Set against the sunny Mediterranean backdrop of Mallorca, the film follows Ry, a young woman living with a chronic illness, who travels to Spain with her mother for the summer. There she meets Julián, a local fisherman, and the two develop an unexpected romance. But Ry’s health, her mother’s business plans and long-hidden family secrets threaten to destroy their brief summer of happiness. (Rotten Tomatoes)
Released exclusively on Prime Video on August 26, 2026, the film has a runtime of approximately 1 hour 46 minutes. (Rotten Tomatoes)
Quick Review Overview
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Director | Carlson Young |
| Writers | Anna Todd, Anna Klassen |
| Lead Cast | Maia Reficco, Fernando Lindez |
| Supporting Cast | Eva Longoria, Sabrina Bartlett, Chloé Sweetlove, Andrés Velencoso |
| Music | Isom Innis |
| Cinematography | Rob Givens |
| Production Design | Víctor Molero |
| Genre | Romance / Drama |
| Language | English |
| Runtime | 106–107 Minutes |
| Release Date | August 26, 2026 |
| OTT Platform | Prime Video |
| Production | Amazon MGM Studios |
| Based On | Anna Todd’s 2025 novel The Last Sunrise |
The film is an Amazon MGM Studios production and is based on Anna Todd’s standalone novel. (IMDb)
Storyline: A Summer Romance Under the Mediterranean Sun
At the centre of The Last Sunrise is Oriah “Ry” Pera, played by Maia Reficco.
Ry is a young dancer whose life has been heavily affected by a chronic medical condition. After experiencing a serious health setback, she travels with her mother Isolde, played by Eva Longoria, to Mallorca.
For Ry, the trip represents an opportunity to escape the restrictions surrounding her everyday life and experience something resembling freedom.
In Mallorca, she meets Julián García, played by Fernando Lindez, a local fisherman whose family has deep ties to the island.
Their relationship begins casually.
But what starts as a summer attraction gradually becomes something much more meaningful.
Ry finds herself experiencing life in a way she hasn’t been able to for some time.
However, their romance has several obstacles.
Ry is dealing with her worsening health.
Julián is struggling to protect his family’s fishing business.
And Ry’s mother is connected to a major property-development project that threatens the García family’s livelihood.
To make matters worse, secrets surrounding Isolde’s past in Mallorca begin to emerge.
The result is a familiar romantic-drama setup:
Love vs. family.
Love vs. responsibility.
Love vs. time.
The question is whether Ry and Julián can build something lasting when their relationship is surrounded by circumstances that seem determined to pull them apart.
Character Performances: Maia Reficco Carries the Emotional Burden
Maia Reficco as Oriah “Ry” Pera
Maia Reficco has the most demanding role in the film.
Ry is simultaneously a young woman desperate to experience life normally and someone constantly reminded of her health limitations.
Reficco brings vulnerability to the character, particularly in the quieter scenes involving her mother and Julián.
However, the screenplay doesn’t always give her enough material to make Ry as complex as she could have been.
This is one of the film’s biggest problems.
The central character has a potentially fascinating internal conflict, but much of the story happens to her rather than being driven by her.
The Guardian made a similar criticism, arguing that Ry has limited agency within the story and that important developments are often explained through dialogue rather than dramatically shown. (The Guardian)
Still, Reficco manages to give the character enough warmth to keep the audience emotionally invested.
Fernando Lindez as Julián
Fernando Lindez plays Julián, the local fisherman who becomes Ry’s love interest.
Julián is presented as someone deeply connected to his family and homeland.
His family’s fishing business is under threat because of the proposed resort development.
Lindez brings an easygoing charm to the role, and his chemistry with Reficco helps make the romance watchable.
The two leads have enough natural warmth to sell the lighter romantic moments.
However, the relationship doesn’t always achieve the emotional intensity the screenplay seems to expect.
Moneycontrol similarly described the pair as charming enough to keep the romance watchable while suggesting the film never quite turns its promising premise into something truly memorable. (Moneycontrol)
Eva Longoria as Isolde Pera
Eva Longoria gives the film one of its most recognizable performances.
As Ry’s mother, Isolde is protective, ambitious and emotionally complicated.
She is also connected to Mallorca’s past, making her character important to both the family drama and the central conflict.
Longoria brings confidence to the role, but the screenplay occasionally pushes Isolde toward conventional melodrama.
Her presence nevertheless gives the family storyline considerably more weight.
Sabrina Bartlett as Prisha
Sabrina Bartlett plays Prisha, one of Ry’s important supporting relationships.
Her character provides companionship and helps Ry navigate her new surroundings.
Bartlett adds some lighter energy to the movie, preventing the story from becoming relentlessly serious.
Chloé Sweetlove
Chloé Sweetlove plays Amara, another character who becomes part of Ry’s new life in Mallorca.
Her role helps expand Ry’s social world beyond her mother and Julián.
Andrés Velencoso
Andrés Velencoso is also part of the supporting ensemble, adding another recognizable face to the Mallorca setting.
The supporting cast is relatively small, allowing the film to remain focused primarily on Ry, Julián and Isolde. (IMDb)
Technical Craft & Direction: Beautiful Location, Conservative Storytelling
Director Carlson Young takes a straightforward approach.
The movie clearly wants Mallorca to function as a romantic fantasy location.
Sunlight, beaches, ocean views and Mediterranean architecture create the visual foundation for the film.
Unfortunately, the direction doesn’t always take full advantage of that environment.
The Guardian’s review was particularly critical of this aspect, arguing that Mallorca sometimes looks more like a generic postcard than a fully realized place with its own identity. (The Guardian)
That’s a missed opportunity.
A romance built around discovering a new place should make the audience feel as though they have travelled there.
The Last Sunrise occasionally achieves that feeling, but not consistently.
Cinematography
Rob Givens handles the cinematography.
Visually, the film is undoubtedly attractive.
The bright Mediterranean environment contrasts nicely with Ry’s personal struggles.
The beaches, ocean and warm sunlight create the ideal visual language for a summer romance.
The cinematography gives the film a glossy streaming-romance appearance.
But beautiful images alone cannot compensate for underdeveloped storytelling.
Music & Background Score
Isom Innis provides the music.
The soundtrack supports the youthful romantic atmosphere and helps create the feeling of a carefree Mediterranean summer.
The music is most effective during the romantic sequences and location montages.
However, the film doesn’t have a particularly memorable musical identity.
Editing
At around 106–107 minutes, The Last Sunrise is relatively compact. (Rotten Tomatoes)
That’s a positive.
The movie doesn’t become excessively long.
However, some story elements still feel rushed.
The central romance develops quickly, while certain family conflicts are explained rather than fully dramatized.
A slightly longer runtime might actually have helped the film if that additional time had been used to deepen the characters.
Critical Analysis: Romance, Illness and Family Secrets
The film attempts to combine several themes:
- Young love
- Living in the moment
- Chronic illness
- Mother-daughter relationships
- Family secrets
- Cultural identity
- Property development
- The conflict between personal happiness and responsibility
That’s a lot for a 106-minute romance.
The strongest idea is Ry’s desire to experience life rather than constantly fear what might happen next.
Her relationship with Julián represents freedom.
But the screenplay sometimes treats her medical condition primarily as a plot device rather than exploring the psychological consequences in depth.
The family conflict involving Julián’s fishing business also has potential.
Ry’s mother is involved in a development project that threatens the García family’s livelihood.
That creates a classic Romeo-and-Juliet-style obstacle.
But the film doesn’t always show the mechanics of that conflict convincingly.
As the Guardian noted, important elements of the property dispute are often conveyed through dialogue rather than visual storytelling. (The Guardian)
This makes the conflict feel smaller than it should.
The Romance: Charming but Not Powerful Enough
The central relationship is pleasant to watch.
Ry and Julián have enough chemistry to make their summer romance believable.
Their scenes together are at their best when the film simply allows them to enjoy each other’s company.
The problem comes when the screenplay tries to manufacture dramatic intensity.
The relationship becomes increasingly surrounded by secrets, illness and family problems.
Instead of making the romance more powerful, these additions sometimes make it feel artificially dramatic.
The Times of India was more forgiving, describing the movie as a quiet and honest Mallorca romance and giving it 3/5, while acknowledging its predictability. (The Times of India)
That feels like a fair assessment.
What Works
✅ Beautiful Mallorca Setting
The Mediterranean backdrop gives the film an appealing summer-romance atmosphere.
✅ Maia Reficco
She brings vulnerability and sincerity to Ry.
✅ Fernando Lindez
His relaxed screen presence makes Julián an easy character to root for.
✅ Eva Longoria
Adds experience and emotional weight to the family drama.
✅ Short Runtime
At around 106 minutes, the film is easy to finish in one sitting.
✅ Accessible Romance
The movie is straightforward and easy to follow.
✅ Themes of Living in the Moment
Ry’s struggle to experience life despite uncertainty gives the romance emotional potential.
What Doesn’t Work
❌ Predictable Story
Most of the major romantic and dramatic developments are easy to anticipate.
❌ Weak Character Development
Several characters aren’t developed as deeply as the premise suggests.
❌ Limited Lead Chemistry
The romance is pleasant but doesn’t always feel deeply passionate.
❌ Underused Mallorca Setting
The location looks beautiful but isn’t always integrated meaningfully into the story.
❌ Melodramatic Plot Twists
Some revelations feel more like soap-opera devices than natural developments.
❌ Passive Protagonist
Ry often reacts to events rather than actively driving the story. (The Guardian)
Final Verdict: Is It Worth Watching?
The Last Sunrise is a beautifully photographed but familiar romantic drama that offers an appealing summer setting, a sincere central romance and several emotional themes without fully developing its potential.
Maia Reficco gives the film its emotional centre, while Fernando Lindez brings charm to Julián. Eva Longoria provides additional dramatic weight as Ry’s mother.
The movie’s biggest strengths are its location, accessible romance, performances and relatively short runtime.
Its biggest weaknesses are the predictable screenplay, underdeveloped characters, conventional melodrama and failure to fully exploit Mallorca as a character in its own right.
Critics are divided: The Times of India gave it 3/5 and found value in its simplicity, while The Guardian was far harsher, criticising its formulaic writing and lack of visual and emotional depth. (The Times of India)
If you enjoy summer romances, young-adult relationship dramas, beautiful travel settings and emotional love stories, The Last Sunrise is worth a casual OTT watch.
If you’re looking for a deep, original or emotionally powerful romance, this film may leave you wanting more.
Where to Watch: The Last Sunrise is streaming on Prime Video from August 26, 2026. (Rotten Tomatoes)
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ / 5
