Summer of 85

This endearing love-story is pictured from the point of view of 16 year old naive and impressionable Alex, who head over heals falls in love with the more streetwise and impetuous David. Ozon very convincingly shows the kind of summer-love that many of us are all too familiar with: at the start looking like it will last forever, until somewhere along the line one of the two backs out, leaving the other broken-hearted. Ozon creates a wonderful atmosphere, with a sun-drenched seaside village as decor, beautiful cinematography, and a meticulously rendered retro-setting to revive the eighties. All actors are excellent, even the smaller parts of both mothers, but Felix Lefebvre (Alex) and Benjamin Voisin (David) really steal the show with the natural and easy way in which they play their demanding parts, especially Lefebvre who has to go through a rollercoaster of emotions, he at several times moved me to tears. It surprised me a bit that Ozon, the director of so many complex and at times controversial movies, chose this "little" story as a subject. In spite of the tragedy at the centre of the movie, it's rather one-dimensional (I recently saw "Jonas" by Christophe Charrier, with a more or less comparable story, but much more multilayered). And since Ozon is also renowned for some rather explicit movies, this one is remarkably restrained, especially in view of the premise being the sexual awakening of a young teen. It would be interesting to know his considerations on this. But all in all: an excellent, sensitive and endearing movie.

Toward the end of the movie, Alexis asks the teacher a question about David, which is subtitled: "Did he seduce you, too?" The teacher replies something like: "Yes, but he was my student, and I was his teacher." This is confusing to an English speaker, because the teacher seems at once to be admitting to and denying a physical relationship with David. The confusion is owing to the subtitles. In French the verb Alexis uses is séduire, which can mean seduce. But it can also mean.attract, charm, allure, beguile, etc. From the teacher's answer, it's clear that the subtitle should use one of these words, and not seduce, because the point is that while David charmed the teacher, and perhaps tried actively to seduce him, he did not succeed.

Both are good and alike and recall everyone memories when young.

Summer of 85 is a fantastic film no matter how you look at it. It's shot on film that displays the grain reminiscent of a film that came right out of the summer of 1985; the cinematography is absolutely beautiful; the story is paced perfectly; the acting is absolutely stellar (having had little exposure to French-language films over the years, none of the actors were recognizable, which helped to sell the story that much more, and every single one of them was incredible); the romantic chemistry between the characters was beautifully effective and it conveyed every bit of sexual tension without actually showing anything particularly graphic. Even through reading subtitles, the film stirred strong emotion and showcased the beauty and tragedy of young love and the fragility and unpredictability of our own lives. The soundtrack is also phenomenal, but the biggest emotional impact revolves around the Rod Stewart song "Sailing," which I will never again be able to listen to without crying. The only singular downside to the film is the creepy mother character, which is something you'll notice in the first 15 minutes of the film. I don't particularly understand the significance of having the character be the way she is as it's quite off-putting, but it's easily overshadowed by a beautiful on-screen romance and tragedy. Definitely headed to my Top 10 list.

A very bad bad bad movie. Could not stop laughing.

As "Summer of 85" opens, the Cure's "In Between Days" plays over the opening credits, and we then get to know Alex, 16. He lives is a small seaside town in Normandy. Wnen he goes out sailing, he capsizes and almost drowns, but is rescued by David, 18. They strike up an immediate friendship and start hanging out together. Then Alex encounters Kate, an English girl who is an au-pair girl for the summer while trying to improve her French. At this point we are 10 min. Into the movie... Couple of comments: this is the latest from writer-director Francois Ozon, whose previous work includes, among many others, the excellent ""Frantz", "In the House" and "Swimming Pool", just to name those. Hence my expectations were quite high for this. Alas, it was not to be. For that the movie is just too average. The two acting leads (Félix Lefebvre as Alexis, Benjamin Voisin as David) are tentative at best, and awkward at times. And the story has run its course, literally, after 70 min., and we must endure another 20 min. That are entirely superfluous. One of the most fun things about the movie, set in the mid-80s, is to watch all of the cars from that era (Citroen, Renault, etc.). Other funny side note: the film was originally titled "Summer of 84", but in order to secure the rights to the Cure's "In Between Days" (which was released in 1985), Robert Smith insisted that the film be set in 1985, and hence the movie's title was changed to "Summer of 85". This movie was set to premiere at last year's Cannes film festival. Of course COVID-19 had other plans... The movie opened out of the blue at my local art-house theater this weekend. The Saturday early evening screening where I saw this at was not attended well: 3 people, including myself. I can't see this playing in US theaters much longer. For that the movie simply is too average. But of course you don't have to take my word for it, so I'd suggest you check this out, be it in the theater (while you still can), on VOD< or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

In the title summer, on a beach town, two teenage boys meet while sailing and fall in love. The story is told mostly by way of an essay that recounts the events of the summer, which allows for selective disclosures (or not). Right at the start of the film, we know something bad has happened, but it takes most of the movie to find out what and why. The young actors are natural, and the cinematography is gorgeous. Being set in 1985, I suppose it can't end in "getting married and living happily ever after", but there is maturity and hope.

Fine French filmmaker Francois Ozon (SWIMMING POOL) in a lower gear but still not without interest. As the title and poster may indicate, this is a memory film. A story about a fateful summer and a relationship that changes everything in a young person's life. Looks can be a bit deceiving, however, as there is more than hazy lazy nostalgia at play. Based on a novel by Aidan Chambers ('Dance on my Grave') the couple are Alexis (Felix Lefebvre) and David (Benjamin Voisin) two handsome teens who meet by accident in a Normandy seaside village. David's mother (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) also takes a liking to Alexis and invites him to work at her marine shop alongside her own son. The pair also meet up with a sprightly British au pair who strikes up a friendship with the two boys in order to improve her French! Despite the sunny resort setting, the wistful period tunes by The Cure and Rod Stewart and the dreamy graininess of the 16mm film photography, Ozon (who also wrote the adaptation) never lets his film drift from it's serious themes of sexuality and responsibility. The small cast is very capable and the tone is consistent. Some of the writing isn't as sharp as it could have been and the flashback structure does keep it from fully building any story momentum. While there is darkness, there is always a promise of optimism that that fateful summer will lead to something to look back on with a certain fondness.

What do you dream of when you're 16-years-old and in a seaside resort in Normandy in the 1980s? A best friend? A lifelong teen pact? Scooting off on adventures on a boat or a motorbike? Living life at breakneck speed? No. You dream of death. Because you can't get a bigger kick than dying. And that's why you save it till the very end. The summer holidays are just beginning, and this story recounts how Alexis grew into himself. "Summer of 85" reminds us what makes the film so great, blending the energy of youth with the curveballs of fate. It's a story that's frequently awkward, sincere and truthful about adolescence in a way you don't see much nowadays. Every element of Summer's craft makes you swoon, and each scene is more touching than the next. It captures the joys and heartbreaks of first love, and the Seine-Maritime coast has never looked better than it does as lensed by cinematographer Hichame Alaouie. The film has fresh and vibrant performances, from newcomers Félix Lefebvre and Benjamin Voisin, spot-on costumes and gorgeous cinematography - it's shot in 16mm to evoke an earlier era. It's one of the best coming of age stories in recent memory.

After seeing the trailer my first thought was "here we go with the Call Me By Your Name knock-offs!"; nonetheless, I still decided to give it a chance, and I ended up wasting 90 minutes. All the red flags are in the first 20-ish minutes: everything that happens there doesn't make any sense, especially that scene (quite distrurbing, if I have to be completely honest) where the lead actor is forced to take a bath and stripped naked by the mother of a stranger he just met a few minutes prior who stares straight at his bare crotch and make comments about its size (who thought this scene would be a good idea? Really uncomfortable to watch...) I won't list everything that happen in the movie, all you need to know is that we then see the characters in shallow and stereotypical situations and dialogues, doing absolutely nothing interesting other than being flat pretty faces; all their actions also don't make any sense at all, and the thin drama is really not believable. (On an end note, if you are looking for some slightly sexy scenes then you will be quite disappointed). My advice for anyone who fell for the "2 pretty boys in a retro environment with cute outfits" bait would be to just look at pictures of the lead actors online and spare yourself this nonsense.