Summer of 85

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1:40

Summer of 85

Released Jun 18, 2021

1h 41m

Drama

Romance

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

102 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

When Alexis capsizes off the coast of France, David comes to the rescue and opens his eyes to a new horizon of friendship, art and sexual bliss.

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Critics Consensus

While not François Ozon's best work, Summer of 85 serves as a beguiling, bittersweet ode to teen love and its lingering after-effects.

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

"Summer of 85" balances intriguingly but a little too murkily on a fulcrum of unreliable narration, and it becomes impossible to tell whether Ozon means us to take the story at face value or undercutting Alex's own melodramatic pronouncements.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 7, 2021

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Ann Hornaday

Washington Post

Despite some distracting contrivances, "Summer of 85" transports viewers to a place, time and feeling that feel altogether real, and not nearly as far away as they initially might seem.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 24, 2021

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Claudia Puig

FilmWeek (LAist)

It's all predicated on the strength of [Félix Lefebvre and Benjamin Voisin's] performances, and they're really good.

Jun 22, 2021

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Serena Seghedoni

Loud and Clear Reviews

In Summer of 85 (Été 85), François Ozon puts his own spin on Aidan Chambers’ coming-of-age novel Dance On My Grave, crafting a complex, meaningful story about love, loss and growth.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 13, 2023

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Mo Muzammal

Vague Visages

Summer of 85 is a well-designed coming-of-age work that makes for a sentimental and sensual drama, even if it fails to meet its potential.

Jul 27, 2023

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Juan Barquin

them.

French director François Ozon has been delivering nothing but gems for decades now...

Nov 2, 2022

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Virginie

The summer aesthetic was nice and enjoyable but the characters were incredibly under-developed and I didnt feel the romance progressed in a natural, believable way. Seemed like all the characters introduced themselves and became incredibly fast friends/love interests right away I get it was supposed to encompass the feeling of a summer fling but the screenplay was disappointing to me and lacked substance. While tragedy was inevitable, I found myself unmoved by what happened to the characters because I didnt feel attached to them at all and had no sympathy for their plights because of how surface-level it all seemed. The ingredients were all there but the execution fell flat to me.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/29/21

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Dotson Rader

Convincing love story, beautifully played.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/19/21

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Patrick

Great movie. The actors were amazing.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/19/21

Full Review

Rosana B

Filme sobre relacionamento homoafetivo masculino na adolescência sempre me causa um impacto e me deixa muito pensativa e pesarosa, pois tenho dois amigos que viveram esse momento de forma distintas, porém igualmente conturbadas… Parcialmente baseado num romance infantojuvenil (foi um dos percursores no estilo)… "você acha que inventamos as pessoas que amamos?" e é exatamente assim que um desses amigos se apaixona, criando homens perfeitos na sua imperfeição… Filme lindo e emocionante...

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/23/25

Full Review

Flynn D

Very similar, but also very different to Call Me By Your Name, I absolutely love this film. The chemistry between those two boys is phenomenal. Tears rolling down while I'm writing this.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/25

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Knoe F

Sensitive depiction of young love. This film evokes rich and varied feelings and captures beauty and passion while showing both the simplicity and complexity of attraction and human connection.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/14/25

Full Review

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François Ozon

Director

Félix Lefebvre

Alexis

Benjamin Voisin

David

Philippine Velge

Kate

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi

Madame Gorman

Melvil Poupaud

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Summer of 85: Trailer 1

1:40

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Synopsis

When Alexis capsizes off the coast of France, David comes to the rescue and opens his eyes to a new horizon of friendship, art and sexual bliss.

Director: François Ozon
Producer: Éric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer
Screenwriter: François Ozon, Aidan Chambers
Distributor: Music Box Films
Production Co: Mandarin Films, Scope Pictures
Genre: Drama, Romance, LGBTQ+
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 18, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 17, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $70.7K
Runtime: 1h 41m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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