The Sunlit Night follows Frances (played by Jenny Slate), an aspiring painter living in New York City who is struggling with a difficult breakup and a lack of direction in her career. One day, she receives an invitation to travel to a remote artist residency in the far north of Norway, near the Arctic circle.
Once she arrives, she discovers that the residency is run by an eccentric older artist named Nils (played by Fridtjov Såheim) and his teenage daughter, Yasha (played by Thea Sofie Loch Næss). There, Frances begins working on a project involving painting and repurposing a small barn into an art installation.
Meanwhile, Yasha is dealing with her own family issues as she tries to reconnect with her estranged mother, who has moved to Russia. When Yasha's mother sends her new boyfriend, a Russian immigrant named Dmitry (played by Alex Sharp), to pick up Yasha and bring her to Russia, Yasha instead decides to take him on a detour to Norway to visit Nils and the residency.
As Frances and Dmitry cross paths, they begin to form a connection and explore the idyllic but isolated landscape together. Despite the constant daylight in the Arctic sun, the two find themselves in a world of their own, growing closer and discovering more about each other and themselves.
Throughout the film, themes of family, love, and finding one's place in the world are explored in a unique and visually stunning setting, with breathtaking shots of the Arctic landscapes and sunsets. The Sunlit Night ultimately shows how unexpected connections and experiences can lead to a new outlook on life and a brighter future.