Staff Picks: Summer Movies
The Independent Magazine wishes you a very happy last weekend of summer! In the spirit of summer’s end, we looked back on the season and picked our very favorite summertime films. These are movies that take place during the summer, embody the summer spirit, or simply remind us of the best time of the year. If you have not seen these eight wonderful films, we hope you enjoy our recommendations (with an extra honorable mention from Managing Editor Casey Miller at the end).
Staff Writer and Alumni Liaison Nate Ruttenberg’s Pick: “The Swimmer” dir. Frank Perry
In his deceptively disturbing 1968 film starring Burt Lancaster, Frank Perry brings a fictional piece from “The New Yorker” onto the big screen. The story follows the socially and fiscally well-off Ned Merrill as he tries to swim across every pool in his neighborhood, learning unsettling truths about himself as he progresses. The odd satire on suburban living takes the viewer through a day-long journey, revealing what lies underneath Merrill’s superficial friendships.
Contributing Writer Francis Rogerson’s Pick: “Little Fugitive” dir. Ray Ashley, Morris Engel, Ruth Orkin
Shot entirely on location using handheld cameras and starring non-professional child actors, Little Fugitive follows Joey, a seven-year-old boy from a middle-class neighborhood in Brooklyn, living with his widowed mother and older brother Lennie. Frustrated that he can’t go with his friends to Coney Island for his birthday—and instead must babysit his brother—Lennie plays a prank on Joey, the consequences of which send Joey on an thrilling odyssey across New York City.
Contributing Writer Lou Magliano’s Pick: “Un p’tit truc en plus” dir. Artus
A father and son on the run hide out at a summer camp for young adults with disabilities by posing respectively as a resident and his caregiver, leading to an unexpected and transformative experience. It’s a very funny and lighthearted film, perfect to watch with your family!
Staff Writer Brooke Lelia’s Pick: “Theater Camp” dir. Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman
Theater Camp is a pitch-perfect mockumentary that hits all the right notes for die-hard theater kids and former drama camp devotees alike. With its sharp wit and affectionate satire, the film captures the delightful chaos of thespian sleepaway camps—whether you were a starry-eyed camper or an overcaffeinated counselor. Standout performances from Molly Gordon and Noah Galvin elevate the ensemble, delivering both heart and hilarity in equal measure.
Staff Editor Terra King’s Pick: “Respiro” dir. Emanuele Crialese
This 2002 Italian drama stars Valeria Golina as Grazia, an unconventional mother and wife living on a remote Italian island. Tensions rise as Grazia’s spontaneous nature contrasts with the rigidity of small-town conventions, and her husband’s family takes action to cure her wild ways. The film is shot entirely on film, posturing this familial struggle against a stunning Mediterranean backdrop.
Editor in Chief Hannah Brueske’s Pick: “Thelma and Louise” dir. Ridley Scott
In the summer months, I get confronted by a familiar urge: I need to watch Thelma & Louise. Better yet: I have to grab my best friend and go on a road trip immediately. Thelma & Louise, though not a particularly joyful story, portrays freedom in the most intoxicating way. As the film progresses, the two titular characters unravel, detaching themselves from the societal roles they have become comfortable playing. For a brief moment, they get to be completely uninhibited by all that was and become entirely present with each other—somewhat like that dizzying delusion one can only reach after a day spent under the blazing summer sun. The film’s surrealist audio-visual qualities—its western score and vast desert landscapes under a bright blue sky—only contribute to this feeling. Callie Khouri wrote the screenplay imagining a low-budget indie film before Ridley Scott bought the film rights. The independent spirit Thelma & Louise was born out of prevails. The movie itself is a summer child, shot in California and Utah from June to August of 1990 and premiered at the 44th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 1991.
Staff Editor Ashley Davis’ Pick: “Smooth Talk” dir. Joyce Chopra
Based on Joyce Carol Oates’ short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Laura Dern stars in her breakout role as Connie Wyatt, a wayward and cunning fifteen-year-old coming of age in the hyper-consumerist Americana of the 1980s, dancing to James Taylor and drifting in and out of endless mallscapes and trashy daydreams under the white-hot California sun. Just as the film’s nostalgic, light-washed haze begins to coax you into a drowsy lull, the third act tears right through it with a brutal meditation on predation, coercion, and innocence.
Managing Editor Casey Miller’s Pick: “American Graffiti” dir. George Lucas
Before Star Wars, George Lucas made a pitch-perfect summer flick to the tune of The Beach Boys’ “All Summer Long” in his 1973 film “American Graffiti.” If that sentence hasn’t painted the picture enough yet, it is an undeniably in-your-face, feel-good fifties romp which intersects adolescence with the warmth of a summer breeze. Starring an early Ron Howard and Harrison Ford, the film follows a group of young men on their last day (and night) of summer break before college, reminiscing on their past and reconciling their future in and around their local Mel’s diner. It is as naive as it is warm; a smiling relic of an old American ideation sown in suburbia, fast cars and milkshakes. I weep every time!
Honorable mention to Edward Yang’s “A Brighter Summer Day,” which could not be less smiley nor naive, but it does have the word “summer” in the title. More on that next year!
Regions: Boston