Serville Poblete was determined Sunburn wouldn't be focused on gang violence

Sunburn director Serville Poblete was determined that his gang movie wouldn’t focus on violence or police brutality.

The filmmaker’s latest offering - premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) - follows a group of young people in St. James Town, a ‘hood in Toronto, as they’re forced off their cell phones due to a citywide blackout.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about the film, Serville explained that he wanted to do something different with his coming of age drama.

He said: “I really wanted to make a film like that for the ‘hood, because a lot of films about the ‘hood are usually about trauma and violence and drugs, which I think are important. But I wanted to reframe what that means.”

Sunburn also sees the main characters arguing about whether they should leave the Toronto community they grew up in.

With Serville adding: “When you’re a kid, you grow up together with your friends and you all think you want the same things in life.

“But I wanted to be careful not to make tension for tension’s sake and give them obstacles. I wanted to make (the movie) entertaining for entertainment sake.”

He also wanted to explore summertime subjects such as being “hot and frustrated”, and “being in love”.

Serville added: “I wanted to explore that relationship between people in a fun and nostalgic way, summertime, being outside, being hot, being frustrated, being in love.”

After premiering at TIFF, Sunburn has received an influx of positive reviews, with critic Roger Ebert calling it “one of the bigger sleeper hits of TIFF 2026”.

Praising the “buoyant gem”, he added: “This is a funny, sweet ensemble piece about some young people on the cusp of change while others are living for the moment.”

Meanwhile, Vernon Akiyu wrote in his review for The Grind: “A loose, coming-of-age tale, the film is at its best when its characters are simply hanging out in the neighbourhood’s diverse high-rises.

“There is plenty of charm and humour among the cast as their paths gradually intersect, but Sunburn really comes alive in the margins: curious neighbourhood kids, colourful side characters and the fleeting interactions give St. James Town a lived-in quality.”