Sunshine

Nineteen-year-old Sunshine trains relentlessly as she tries out for the national gymnastics team, aiming for one last chance at the Olympics. She faces pressure from the gym’s culture and family to perform while managing her own physical changes. A weight gain and a fainting spell during practice raise concerns about her health and future prospects.

After the fainting incident, Sunshine realizes she has missed her period and takes a pregnancy test, which comes back positive. She resolves to keep the pregnancy secret from everyone, including her coaches, while seeking abortifacients in Quiapo. The unnamed Girl appears, chastising her with harsh words and complicating her plan.

Sunshine goes to her boyfriend Miggy, who dismisses the pregnancy and urges her to abort. Enraged by his apathy, she uses a sledgehammer—given to her by the Girl—to smash his car windshield. The act marks a public eruption of her desperation and anger.

Seeking to terminate the pregnancy, Sunshine checks into a motel for an abortive procedure, but the attempt fails and she bleeds severely. The Girl stays with her, offering whatever comfort she can as Sunshine is rushed to the hospital. The crisis foregrounds the fragility of her body and the consequences of her choices.

In the hospital, a bigoted obstetrician harangues Sunshine while she is clearly in pain and scared. Geleen arrives after Sunshine vomits, recognizing the seriousness of the situation and urging her to rest. Sunshine stubbornly insists that gymnastics is her life, even as the hospital ordeal continues.

Geleen counsels Sunshine to slow down and take care of her body, but Sunshine remains determined to pursue her dream. The siblings’ tension highlights how deeply sport and family duties are intertwined in Sunshine’s world. The moment deepens Sunshine’s internal conflict between motherhood and athletic ambition.

Rumors about Sunshine’s pregnancy swirl through the gym, and Eden warns her that she could be removed from the team if personal issues interfere with training. Sunshine publicly denies the allegations but privately struggles with the pressure. The scene elevates the stakes of keeping her secret while maintaining her athletic career.

Sunshine encounters Mary Grace, a 13-year-old who is also pregnant and seeking an abortion. Mary Grace reveals she was impregnated by her uncle Bobot, which moves Sunshine to help and eventually fund abortifacients. The meeting pulls Sunshine deeper into a network of pregnancies and precarious choices that extend beyond her own crisis.

Sunshine, along with the Girl and Ariana, arrives as Mary Grace bleeds and collapses after attempting to abort on her own. They rush her to the hospital, where a sympathetic doctor, Helena, discreetly helps. Mary Grace survives but loses her child, leaving Sunshine shaken by the broader impact of unsafe abortion.

Sunshine learns that Mary Grace’s mother is cavorting with Bobot, prompting rage. She bludgeons Bobot with a bottle and escapes, a moment that exposes the cruelty and entanglements surrounding the families involved. The incident compounds Sunshine’s sense of injustice and the costs of the choices around her.

Thea secures an appointment at Helena’s clinic for Sunshine’s abortion. At home, Miggy and his pastor father Jaime visit; Miggy offers a hollow apology, while Jaime awkwardly proposes to help care for the child. Geleen reaffirms her support for Sunshine’s right to decide, underscoring the family’s mixed feelings.

As Sunshine grapples with her decision, the Girl reappears and indicates she understood Sunshine’s stance. In a tearful moment, the Girl reveals that she is Sunshine’s unborn child and that Sunshine’s abortion was pushed through. The revelation reframes Sunshine’s experience as a reckoning about choice, motherhood, and the life she carries.

Sunshine returns to the mat, training and performing as her family and coaches cheer her on. The moment carries the weight of all she has endured, including the secret she kept and the revelation about the Girl. Her perseverance culminates in a decisive, crowd-supported routine.

The film closes with Sunshine balancing her fiercely demanding sport with the complex truth of her life and relationships. Her family’s unwavering support frames a hopeful note about healing and continuing to strive, no matter the obstacles. The final image centers on her continued presence in gymnastics and in her own life choices.