Summer of 85
Summer of 85 by François Ozon (8 Women, Swimming Pool, The New Girlfriend), is freely adapted from the novel Dance on My Grave by Aidan Chambers. The film has been included in the Cannes 2020 Official Selection.
Despite its summer holiday setting, this film gives us goosebumps. The year is 1985, and Alex is 16. During a solo boat trip, he capsizes and is rescued by 18-year-old David. It’s the summer of discoveries and first times. Soon, Alex finds himself in bed with David, then employed in his lover’s mother’s store. Their relationship intensifies and they spend all their time together, but the romance fizzles out as quickly as it began. Alex is jealous of Kate, the Englishwoman with whom David has a one-night stand to satisfy his boredom. Things start to go wrong…
Shot in Super 16 on the beaches of Normandy, the film paints a tender portrait of youth, budding love and grief. The story moves back and forth between the past, that summer that changed everything, and the troubled present, where Alex awaits his judgment.
The soundtrack is a wonderful accompaniment to the film, including Rod Stewart’s I Am Sailing and In Between Days by The Cure.
Summer of 85 reveals two young actors, Félix Lefebvre and Benjamin Voisin, who embody their characters with freshness and accuracy.
Available on VOD: www.sooner.lu or netflix.
Photos © Diaphana Distribution