Griffin In Summer Is So Much More Than a Coming-of- Age Story
Griffin is quiet yet demanding when it counts; he uses a strong voice to establish himself when he otherwise would run against resistance for his unusual requirements and goals. typically more out of frustration than anything, his mother (Melanie Lynskey) he calls by her first name typically complies. Griffin is something of a loner in his own right; his best buddy Kara (Are You There God?) Me, Margaret breakout Abby Ryder Fortson) seems more focused on her guy and his other buddies are starting to follow other hobbies.
When you're young and gay, Griffin's loneliness is not unusual; it's a solitude that lets him investigate aspects of himself that may otherwise lie dormant. Griffin is instantly captivated by the pool boy when he meets Brad (Owen Teague), staring at his softly toned body and tattooed arms. Griffin clearly has a different experience; he may have seen attractive men in magazines or on TV, but to be confronted by a hunk in your own backyard is something different.
Griffin On Summer Sticks The Landing
The film deftly lets Griffin experience both disappointment and a fresh delight in rejection, therefore avoiding reliance on Brad for an emotional climax. Griffin will hang on to his love of Brad, something he will do alone, far past his blustering adolescence. Griffin's experience is universal in its own right, but Griffin in Summer finds particular in its brilliantly caustic primary character. Combined with some of the more subdued aspects of the movie, Griffin in Summer becomes a brilliant Coming-of-Age comedy among the best movies of 2024.
Griffin in Summer first showed at the Tribeca Film Festival 2024.
Pride Month brings with it the publication of a multitude of fresh LGBTQ+ novels by incredible writers leveraging their words to revolutionize the field.
Though Colia manages Griffin's crush and Brad's character with a delicate discernment that avoids any stickiness, this story may readily slide into frightening terrain. Brad doesn't know Griffin's feelings, but after a few days the two bond over their love of painting. Before Brad felt compelled to go back home to save some money, he was a Brooklyn-based performance artist. Griffin recognizes a kindred spirit in Brad, their love of art and performance across age and situation bringing them together.
Comedy starts as summer advances and Griffin and Brad get closer. Brad replaces Griffin's male actor, and we have a wonderfully off-kilter scene where Brad is performing against two tweens. We also meet Brad's girlfriend, played with wonderful anarchy by Kathryn Newton. Every character, including those we don't get to spend too much time with like Griffin's absent father, feel as though their mental world transcends what we see on screen.
As Griffin, Everett Blunck provides a star-making turn.
Everett Blunck, Griffin, turns out a star-making performance. His movements reveal a wary uneasiness that directly contradicts his outward-facing image. This definitely helps to understand his expression, but this also releases an unbounded curiosity that only this new crush can pique. Blunck's comic timing lets him capture his uncomfortable moments with Brad in a way that would cause viewers to experience Griffin's puzzled, terrified, and somewhat ashamed reactions when he's turned down.
Griffin Naffly, a fourteen-year-old playwright, starts a surprising summer friendship with attractive failed performance artist turned handyman Brad; his life (and play) will never be the same.
Most people recall their first crush, if not the person, but there's something about a young queer person's first crush that just hits different.
It's not only learning the ability to truly love someone; it's also the uncovering of a part of you that feels completely fresh, incredibly exhilarating, and somewhat terrifying. Though it becomes much more over the fast running length, Griffin in Summer, a great new picture from debut writer-director Nicholas Colia, is about one of those First Crushes.
14-year-old Griffin Nafly starts his summer ready to perform a play with his buddies somewhere in Massachusetts. The precocious redhead talks about his own writing as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. meets American Beauty, and Griffin expects 60-hour weeks for rehearsal—a degree of dedication his pals, who are only discovering boys and alcohol, don't really connect with.
