‘Summering’ Review: A Gently Meandering Generation Alpha Riff on ‘Stand By Me’

  • 📰 Variety
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 38 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 18%
  • Publisher: 63%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

On a balmy Labor Day weekend, four best friends find a dead body in the woods, the discovery marking an end of innocence as adolescence beckons. If you think you’ve seen this one before, &#82…

’s unhurried, sun-kissed coming-of-age drama plays as an all-female homage to Rob Reiner’s “Stand By Me” — a reference that won’t mean much to the pre-teen girls at whom it’s aimed, but may make some of their parents a little misty-eyed. Yet nostalgia may be the strongest emotion engendered by this breeze-blown dandelion seed of a film, which nods to the bittersweet complexities of growing up and confronting adulthood, but never gets as far as fully dramatizing them.

For a few enchanted minutes at the outset, however, it appears that Ponsoldt has something rarer and more special: like Céline Sciamma’s “Petite Maman,” a film with an arthouse sensibility that can nonetheless speak directly to any children stumbling upon it.

So far, so poignant. But once “Summering” ceases this ruminative scene-setting and concentrates on telling a story, all that delicate subtext switches to text, and a faintly Nickelodeon tone seeps into Ponsoldt and Benjamin Percy’s slender script. The theme of adulthood invading tender jeunesse is bluntly literalized when, upon arriving at their secret play spot , the girls discover the lifeless body of an adult man, who seemingly jumped from a nearby bridge.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 108. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

‘Summering’: Film Review | Sundance 2022Director James Ponsoldt's latest film follows four best friends as they try to solve a mystery on the last weekend before the first day of middle school.
Source: THR - 🏆 411. / 53 Read more »

Sundance Review: James Ponsoldt Directs Young Girls Coming Of Age Movie ‘Summering’I might be tempted to call writer/director James Ponsoldt’s new coming of age film about four young girls who discover the dead body of a man on the last summer days before starting middle sc…
Source: DEADLINE - 🏆 109. / 63 Read more »

New restaurant La Boheme stumbles into South of France: reviewA new St. Tropez-inspired restaurant recently opened in downtown Hoboken. A French kiss or a faux pas?
Source: njdotcom - 🏆 282. / 63 Read more »

Kia Niro EV long-term review, Part 10 | Car Reviews | Auto123Auto123 puts the Kia Niro EV to the long-term test. Today, part 10, as we look at the maintenance question.
Source: auto123 - 🏆 566. / 51 Read more »

Thousands of Giuliani’s communications turned over to Manhattan U.S. attorney following privilege reviewThousands of Giuliani’s communications turned over to Manhattan U.S. Attorney following privilege review
Source: washingtonpost - 🏆 95. / 72 Read more »

Used Honda Civic Type R Review - 2017-presentThis five-star used hot hatch is a bit of a stunner to look at and to drive so you’ll need to fork out around £27k to get yourself behind the wheel. Bear in mind, that is still a fantastic £7,000 saving off the list price... The Honda Civic TypeR isn’t just terrific in a straight line. It gobbles down each corner you throw at it, using the terrific traction bestowed on it by its limited-slip differential to chomp its way through the apex and hurl you out of the other side.
Source: whatcar - 🏆 554. / 51 Read more »