While winter is slowly fading away, summer timidly comes a-knocking. At least, that’s what happens in the northern part of the world—not so much where I live, which is always blazing hot. It got me in a summery mood and thinking of adventures, youth and friendship. It is at times like this which is best used to watch summer films and dream of sunnier days—or just accepting that they’re here to stay.
For this, I tend to turn to Sundance, which is one of my favourite film festivals in the world. They have the best selection of indie movies, with the most awesome storyline and gleaming casts. My favourite pieces from them tend to be of the coming-of-age genre, for some reason—well, they do host some of the greatest ones. The Kings of Summer is no exception.
The film is a mix between comedy and drama which centres around 3 best friends: Joe (Nick Robinson), Patrick (Gabriel Basso) and the ever eccentric Biaggio (Moises Arias). Sick of their family, they decided to build a life in the forest during summer vacation. Despite their freedom, they often run into obstacles which most of the time turns into a hilarious happenstance. It tells the story of friendship, youth, love and—most importantly—family. They learn “to appreciate the fact that family—whether it’s the one you choose or the one you’re born into—is something you can’t run away from.” Although not particularly artistic, the cinematography is incredibly well done, capturing youth and summer superbly. The plot also encompasses all kinds of issues teenage boys tend to deal with—despite the fact that they live in the forest for most of it.
The casts have also done an amazing job, especially Nick Robinson who manages to portray the raw emotional struggle of Joe’s and Moises Arias who can do pretty much anything to show off Biaggio’s eccentricity. I must say that it being indie is a huge selling point for me—I’m a huge indie fan—because it makes the film seem even more authentic with simple camera handling, minimal set design and down-to-earth costume design. The whole film really feels like a memoir retold by a person who actually experienced it. Warning: this movie might cause camping fever!
While winter is slowly fading away, summer timidly comes a-knocking. At least, that’s what happens in the northern part of the world—not so much where I live, which is always blazing hot. It got me in a summery mood and thinking of adventures, youth and friendship. It is at times like this which is best used to watch summer films and dream of sunnier days—or just accepting that they’re here to stay.
For this, I tend to turn to Sundance, which is one of my favourite film festivals in the world. They have the best selection of indie movies, with the most awesome storyline and gleaming casts. My favourite pieces from them tend to be of the coming-of-age genre, for some reason—well, they do host some of the greatest ones. The Kings of Summer is no exception.
The film is a mix between comedy and drama which centres around 3 best friends: Joe (Nick Robinson), Patrick (Gabriel Basso) and the ever eccentric Biaggio (Moises Arias). Sick of their family, they decided to build a life in the forest during summer vacation. Despite their freedom, they often run into obstacles which most of the time turns into a hilarious happenstance. It tells the story of friendship, youth, love and—most importantly—family. They learn “to appreciate the fact that family—whether it’s the one you choose or the one you’re born into—is something you can’t run away from.” Although not particularly artistic, the cinematography is incredibly well done, capturing youth and summer superbly. The plot also encompasses all kinds of issues teenage boys tend to deal with—despite the fact that they live in the forest for most of it.
The casts have also done an amazing job, especially Nick Robinson who manages to portray the raw emotional struggle of Joe’s and Moises Arias who can do pretty much anything to show off Biaggio’s eccentricity. I must say that it being indie is a huge selling point for me—I’m a huge indie fan—because it makes the film seem even more authentic with simple camera handling, minimal set design and down-to-earth costume design. The whole film really feels like a memoir retold by a person who actually experienced it. Warning: this movie might cause camping fever!