Type to search

Tea

‘Summer of 85’ Is a Sexy Nostalgic Reverie of First Love

Share

Adapted by François Ozon from Aidan Chambers’s groundbreaking LGBT young adult novel Dance on My GraveSummer of 85 is a sexy, nostalgic reverie of first love and its consequences from one of France’s most versatile filmmakers.

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. 

Their summer fling lasts just six weeks, but casts a shadow over a lifetime.

2020 Cannes Film Festival, Official Selection
2020 Toronto International Film Festival, Special Presentations
2020 San Sebastián International Film Festival – Official Selection

Summer of 85 is streaming on Amazon now.

Tags: