Sunshine (1999): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1999, Sunshine is a drama, war, romance and history film directed by István Szabó, running about 181 minutes. “In a time of revolution, in a family torn by tradition, one man was consumed by love.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. The story of a Jewish family living in Hungary—through three generations—rising from humble beginnings to positions of wealth and power in the crumbling Austro-Hungarian Empire. The patriarch becomes a prominent judge but is torn when his government sanctions anti-Jewish persecutions. His son converts to Christianity to advance his career as a champion fencer and Olympic hero, but is caught up in the Holocaust. Finally, the grandson, after surviving war, revolution, loss and betrayal, realizes that his ultimate allegiance must be to himself and his heritage.

Who’s in it. Sunshine stars Ralph Fiennes as Ignatz/Adam/Ivan Sors, Rosemary Harris as Valerie Sors, Rachel Weisz as Greta and Jennifer Ehle as Valerie Sonnenschein, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.5/10, Sunshine has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response. It went on to earn $7.9M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Sunshine page.

If you liked it. Fans of Sunshine tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.