Comparison Film vs Book: The Sun is also a Star

Certainly, the first change in the character was noticed by the fans already in the publicity photos. Daniel has long hair and passes the whole book with a suit, as he goes to an admission interview for Yale College and chose a red tie to accompany the look. In the book, this tie becomes something important, as he goes against his mother's advice to wear it and is nicknamed "Red Tie" by Natasha when they meet.

In the movie he doesn't have a hair and changes his tie for a plaid and even changes his nickname with a smart pun. It is also worth mentioning that he is not trying to enter Yale, but Darkmouth.

The feature features Natasha trying to resolve the deportation of her family, which is scheduled for the next day. In reality, the grace of the original work is that it passes in one day, with the sentence set for 10 pm on the same day and not for the next morning, as it is stated in the film.

Daniel's interview also suffers from this change, while in the book he calls to postpone the interview until the end of the afternoon (and ends up discovering it would be postponed anyway), in the film he gets a call postponing it to the next morning.

Irene, immigration security, is almost an extra, but she is a remarkable character. His peculiar way is an analysis of depression and his quick participation is very important at the end of the book. Unfortunately, it was removed from the film, along with any further details on psychological disorders.

The most interesting part of Yoon's narrative in this work is to venture into details about different cultures. When Natasha doesn't get an appeal at first, she has an outbreak when they try to reassure her by saying that Jamaica is a cool and "Irie" place. She then explains where the word comes from, the Rastafarian religion and the entire social and financial situation in the country.

The film does not venture into this explanation, besides leaving some others equally out. The cultural issues that refer to the USA are maintained, as in the store of products for afro hair, however much of Jamaican and Korean are left aside.

Another example of religions removed. The speech the driver gives, which inspires Daniel to look for something different in his day and consequently insists on Natasha, is about finding God and not a story about September 7. He even mentions “Deus Ex-Machina” in his dialogue and it is at this moment that the jacket draws attention.

In the literary work, Natasha has an unresolved relationship in her past, her ex Rob betrayed her and she has not yet fully overcome this situation. When she first meets Daniel, it is at the 'Segundo Advent' record store that she used to go and Rob is there with the girl with whom he cheated on her. Daniel ends up assuming the situation, because the couple is stealing the store and that's how the story between him and Natasha really begins.

Rob is not even mentioned in the film, as the meeting is modified, they meet at the Central Station, when Daniel catches sight of Natasha and goes after her. By the way, the friend who is accompanying Daniel is an invention of the feature.

The next scene, of almost being run over, is faithful to the book, even if it is the second time they have met and the girl has made a small drama because of the broken phone and its sentimental value.

It is also worth mentioning that in karaoke, the song Daniel sings in the book is 'Take a chance on me', by Abba. His exaggerated and funny performance is what makes Natasha start to feel something for him.

Charlie, Daniel's older brother, is a difficult person, but in the book we can understand that he even has some reasons to be so. The character serves to illustrate the demand that Korean culture imposes on its children. Charlie is the oldest and is also under pressure to become a doctor. He comes to Harvard, but is expelled and is now practically despised by the country for that.

Even when he leaves the envelope he needs to deliver to his father's store at home, it is because his mother loses the courage to deliver it, since when he enters the kitchen she is telling Daniel to be better and “not to become like brother".

The film does not portray all of this, it even demonstrates Charlie's rebellious acts, but does not mention all the other facts and leaves the motives half empty, turning him into just an asshole.

Jeremy Fitzgerald, as he is known in the book, has a good deal of guilt eased in the film. The lawyer starts an affair with the secretary that day, which is why he doesn't win Natasha's case. In reality, he did not attend the meeting with the judge, as he was with the secretary at that time. A fact that ends up being exposed the moment he is in the interview with Daniel and he discovers that Natasha will actually be deported, interrupting her interview and going to tell her immediately.

In the film he is single and ends up marrying the doctor he met in the accident. Nor is Daniel the one who finds out and tells about the deportation, it is Natasha who enters the office at the time of the interview and confronts the lawyer about the result.

A huge difference between the book and the film is the complete exclusion of problems in Natasha's family. Samuel, his father, caused deportation by being caught driving drunk, and not in a random round as he says in the feature.

In reality, the family was already suffering from his father's attitudes before, Samuel was frustrated by not being able to follow his dream of working on Broadway and started to live his own reality, focusing only on musicals and leaving all difficulties to the family. . All of this leads to a beautiful discussion and full of teachings at the end of the book, but that was taken from the film.

The end of the adaptation is also completely modified. While in the book they meet by chance on a plane (where, by the way, Irene works as Flight Attendant), in the film she returns to New York and searches for him, until she meets him at the same cafe where they had their first meeting. .