Summer of 85

Released Jun 18, 2021

1 hr. 41 min.

Drama

Romance

LGBTQ+

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List

81%

102 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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Premiered Oct 03

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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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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

Full Review

Dotson Rader

Convincing love story, beautifully played.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/19/21

Full Review

Patrick

Great movie. The actors were amazing.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/19/21

Full Review

Savannah W

I have to simply put it, I loved the movie! I never like tragic endings but I can respect them enough to appreciate and love the movie. Tragic or not tragic ending, I highly recommend the movie, it's amazing.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

Full Review

Jeff M

Despite a number of very positive attributes including a beautiful location, a strong connection between its two leads and a nostalgic feeling of the power of first love that permeates throughout, this is ultimately a disappointing experience that doesn't quite seem to have a grasp on what it's trying to accomplish. It's almost framed as a mystery thriller, which doesn't work out at all, particularly when we find out what the accusations are against one of the lead actors. The central love story feels rather superficial and distanced, in spite of strong performances by Lefebvre and Voisin. There's nothing here that we haven't seen in a hundred other love stories. Supporting characters, particularly the parents of both lead actors, are sketchily drawn and, as a result, their actions toward the end of the film are a bit bewildering. Other characters are mentioned in passing without ever being brought up again. The whole enterprise feels like the highlight reel of a much longer movie or even limited series. I can't recommend it, but at the same time, there's a lot here to admire and respect, so this is in no way a movie about which I have overly negative feelings. With a few tweaks here and there, this could have been something much more special.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/24

Full Review

Jens B

Beautiful cinematography! Amazing performances! And the somehow generic love story develops into something quite touching.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/04/23

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

Monsieur Lefèvre

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Summer of 85: Trailer 1

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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

Full Review

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 (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

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

Full Review

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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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
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
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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