When Alexis (Félix Lefebvre) capsizes off the coast of Normandy, David (Benjamin Voisin) comes to the rescue and soon opens the younger boy’s eyes to a new horizon of friendship, art, and sexual bliss. David’s worldly demeanor and Jewish heritage deliver an ardent jolt to Alexis’s traditional, working-class upbringing. After Alexis begins working at the seaside shop owned by David’s mother (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi), the two lovers steal every possible moment for a fugitive kiss, a motorcycle ride, or a trip to the cinema. Their relationship is soon rocked by a host of challenges, including an unexpected sexual rival (Philippine Velge) and a romantic oath that transcends life itself. Adapted by François Ozon from Aidan Chambers’s groundbreaking LGBT young adult novel Dance on My Grave, Summer of 85 is a sexy, nostalgic reverie of first love and its consequences from one of France’s most versatile filmmakers. Their summer fling lasts just six weeks, but casts a shadow over a lifetime.
Director
François Ozon
Cast
Félix Lefebvre, Benjamin Voisin, Philippine Velge, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Rating
Year
2021
Country
France
Language
French, English
Main Trailer
Reviews
- "Here, the story and the characters' supposed naiveté and the almost-too-obvious stylistic flourishes aren't just nods to his younger, less-refined m.o. They are actually part of a master storyteller's tools to seduce a grown-up audience into considering how youngsters not only experience their own lives but also how they process and talk about them."
- The Hollywood Reporter - "An intense and touching tale of first love set over a six-week period, SUMMER OF 85 blends the energy of youth with the curveballs of fate in a pleasant, keenly acted package that, despite a tragic core, will send all but the most strait-laced curmudgeon out of the cinema smiling."
- Screen Daily - "For as prolific a filmmaker as Ozon continues to be, his occasional misses are far outweighed by his offbeat and insightful forays, particularly in the realm of sexuality — the best parts and the crazy-making parts. For audiences equally interested in his insights about loss and about love, there’s plenty to ponder in SUMMER OF ’85."
- TheWrap
Awards
- CinEuphoria Awards
- Merlinka festival
- Online Film Critics Society Awards
Festivals
- Toronto Int'l Film Festival
- San Sebastián Int'l Film Festival
- Chicago Int'l Film Festival
- Philadelphia Int'l Film Festival
- Stockholm Int'l Film Festival
- Seattle Int'l Film Festival
- Int'l Film Festival of Kerala
- Rendez-Vous with French Cinema
- Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival
- Busan Inte'l Film Festival
- Seoul Int'l Pride Film Festival
- Newfest New York LGBT Film Festival
- Rome Film Festival
- and more...