Direction: Carlos López Estrada
Country: USA
The director of Blindspotting (2018), Carlos López Estrada, doesn’t disappoint in his sophomore feature, Summertime, an unfastened yet burningly passionate dramedy about real people with terrific poetry skills. Drawing inspiration from a spoken-word showcase of high school performers, the director gathers 25 L.A.-based young-adult poets whose dreams, fears, successes and traumas spread across one single summer day. Most of the members of this ensemble cast have never acted in a movie before.
A roller skating guitarist, a pair of unfluctuating street rappers, a homeless cheeseburger lover, a dreamy limo driver, a gay mother in a bus, a frustrated employer of a hamburger fast food restaurant, a young couple in therapy, a wall painter in the run from the police, and two heartbroken girls are some of the personalities you’ll meet over the course of 95 minutes.
If the writing is apt, the staging is not always at the same level, but there’s this breezy, Spike Lee-tinged comedic tone that gives it that favorable indie stamp we all love.
Although not unblemished, the film is occasionally quite exciting, not only making me laugh but also delivering a positive message of hope. I dare to say that Estrada found a victorious sense of pride in these youngsters. Their relationships and emotional struggles feel relevant in these socially awkward days.
