Summerland: A road trip movie review

Summerland is a road trip movie with an interesting destination

Summerland is the feature film directorial debut of the Lankyboys, the nickname for the directing duo consisting of Noah Kentis, who has a small part in the film, and Kurtis David Harder. The indie film is out Sept. 14 on video-on-demand (VOD).

It’s a coming-of-age film about teenage sexuality and breaking out of the bubble of young adulthood and realizing what’s on the other end.

One last hurrah muddled with secrets

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In Summerland, Bray (Chris Ball), a gay teenager, embarks on a road trip to Summerland, a music festival with his friend Oliver, played by Rory J. Saper (Find Me in Paris). It’s one last hurrah before they head off to college in the fall, but Bray is thrown for a loop when he discovers that Oliver’s girlfriend Stacey, played by Maddie Phillips (Teenage Bounty Hunters), will be joining them.

Now, Bray, who’s been using Stacey’s social media pictures to catfish Shawn, a guy who he plans on meeting at Summerland, must figure out what to do upon arrival. To make things even more complicated, Oliver’s also been keeping a secret from Stacey that threatens to derail their plans.

Life lessons

At the heart of any good coming-of-age film is a good life lesson. In Summerland, that lesson is that you must learn to accept yourself and be honest with yourself without projecting onto other people. It’s a lesson that both Bray and Oliver must learn the hard way as they drag Stacey into their lies.

Speaking of Stacey, although the chemistry between the three, especially between Saper and Phillips is undeniable, Stacey isn’t given much to do except to be the unwitting victim of Bray’s and Oliver’s lies. As a result, her character lacks depth, meaning the film probably could’ve functioned without her.

One of the best parts of any road trip film is getting to watch characters engage in wacky shenanigans as they travel across America. While this road trip is light on shenanigans, it does serve as a backdrop for conversations that help humanize the trio and later help them grow.

While most coming-of-age films have an urgency about them with main characters who are eager to leave their childhood behind for greener pastures, Summerland has no such urgency. Bray and Oliver, in particular, know what lies on the other side of young adulthood, and, as a result, they’re eager to remain trapped in this specific moment in time forever rather than deal with the revelations of adulthood.

However, time doesn’t stand still, and eventually, the men are forced to leave the bubble of young adulthood to confront those revelations.

Will they be by each other’s side by the end of it or go their separate ways? You’ll have to watch the film to find out.

Summerland is currently available to buy or rent on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and VUDU.