It was the scenic setting of "Sterling Point" on Prime Video that first attracted me. I was less certain about the premise: would I really want to watch a coming-of-age teen drama centred on a group of 16- and 17-year-olds?
After watching the family drama unfold in the first episode, however, I knew there was enough going on to make for some interesting viewing.
Set against the lush backdrop of Muskoka’s lakes in Canada, "Sterling Point" follows 17-year-old twins Annie (Ella Rubin) and Connor (Keen Ruffalo), wealthy New York City teenagers who lost their adoptive mother when they were toddlers.
They were subsequently raised by their adoptive father, Steven (Jay Duplass).
The twins learn that their estranged maternal grandfather, Gordon, a man they were never allowed to meet, has died and left them two-thirds of Sterling Point island, along with his cottage in Canada.
After discovering letters from Gordon that Steven had hidden from them, Annie decides to fly to Canada for the summer holidays. The first episode left me wondering whether Annie’s mother might actually still be alive, particularly after Gordon’s cryptic instruction to “find her” in one of his letters.
Annie leaves only a hastily scribbled Post-it note for Steven, leading him to believe that she has gone to Thailand for the summer.
Her arrival in Muskoka, a place she knows her mother loved, takes an unexpected turn when she discovers that the cabin she has inherited is already occupied by a stranger who bears an uncanny resemblance to her adoptive mother.
The mystery deepens when Annie encounters 16-year-old Ramona (Amélie Hoeferle), the stranger living in the cabin. A very angry Ramona kicks Annie out of her cabin without giving her a chance to explain.
Through a series of complicated circumstances, Ramona turns out to be Annie and Connor’s long-lost sister.
As the newcomer to the island, Annie soon finds herself drawn into a group of free-spirited friends.
There’s Oona (Bo Bragason), who works at the local café alongside their friend Sully (Nikko Angelo Hinayo); Oona's younger sister Maple (Mabel Strachan); Ellis (Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie), who works at the marina and lives in the area year-round with his father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan); and Rory (Daniel Quinn-Toye), a wealthy former classmate of Annie’s and a piano prodigy.
These teenagers spend their summers getting from place to place by boat and throwing parties in lakeside log cabins. With little Wi-Fi or cell service available on most of the island, they are largely left to their own devices, something that would ordinarily spell disaster for a group of teenagers, but doesn't seem to bother them much.
Parental supervision is also in remarkably short supply.
As Annie and Ramona clash at the beginning, more revelations emerge about Ramona and the death of the twins' mother, particularly after a mixtape is discovered in the cottage. The mystery surrounding the family, and what exactly happened before Annie and Connor arrived in Muskoka, gradually unravels over the course of the eight-episode season.
Steven eventually surprises everyone by arriving in Muskoka, hoping to repair his fractured relationships with the twins and convince them to return home.
Of course, family drama isn't the only complication Annie has to contend with. She finds herself caught between not one but two love interests: Rory and Ellis.
Bisexuality and the same-sex storyline are given almost as much attention as Annie’s attraction to the two local boys, adding another layer to the already complicated romantic relationships playing out among the teenagers.
There is certainly no shortage of booze, weed and sexual encounters in "Sterling Point", making it far from family-friendly despite its coming-of-age premise. Still, there is something sweet about the friendships that develop between the characters.
Throughout the first season, secrets continue to surface. The series captures many of the messy firsts and growing pains of young adulthood, while wrapping them in increasingly complicated family revelations and a generous dose of melodrama.
One of the loveliest aspects is watching Annie and Ramona gradually move beyond their initial hostility and begin to bond as sisters.
As they finally confront the truth about their family and their own lives, Annie and Ramona are forced to decide what they really want from their past, present and future. Ramona, in particular, must grapple with the difficult decision of whether to sell her share of the island.
Meanwhile, Connor pushes Annie and Ramona to sell the Sterling Point island for a huge profit, paving the way for wealthy developers to build on the island. As the three teenagers uncover the truth about what happened to their mother, the question of what to do with their inheritance becomes increasingly complicated.
In the final episode, Annie dreams of an alternate life, one in which her mother survived, offering a poignant glimpse of the life she might have had.
"Sterling Point" may not be the most gripping teen drama around, and at times the sheer number of romantic storylines, parties and hand-rolled cannabis cigarettes can feel excessive. But there are moments that make the series genuinely engaging, particularly when it explores friendship, familial love, grief and the discovery of a family that has been hidden in plain sight.
Ultimately, it is a story about young people uncovering the secrets of the past while trying to work out who they want to become.
The beautiful Muskoka setting certainly helps, making "Sterling Point" an easy enough watch for anyone looking for a mix of teenage romance, family secrets and summer-on-the-lake drama.
Rating: ★★★ (3/5)
Season 1, eight episodes, available on Prime Video, and whether all episodes are streaming.
taschica.pillay@nationalmg.co.za