Summer of 85

"[Aidan] Chambers’ novel and [François] Ozon’s film are well aware that to be queer is to escape these pre-drawn maps, and though the lives of queer lovers are often coated in tragedy, ending with tears in front of a fireplace, Summer of 85 offers true hope beyond loss." —Juan Barquin, Little White Lies

"A sumptuously shot, nostalgic bildungsroman framed by a bittersweet darkness ... Executed with such a light, self-aware confidence that Summer of 85 has wit, warmth and charm to spare." —Christopher Machell, Cine Vue

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. Adapted by François Ozon from Aidan Chambers’s groundbreaking LGBT young adult novel Dance on My Grave, Summer of 85 is a sexy, nostalgic reverie of first love and its consequences from one of France’s most versatile filmmakers. Their summer fling lasts just six weeks, but casts a shadow over a lifetime. Official Selection of the 2020 Cannes, Toronto, and San Sebastián Film Festivals.

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This film is presented with the support of UniFrance.

Tickets to these screenings are $12.75 and under. Cinema members pay only $8.

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