Ah, summer — a time to don your best swimsuit (or birthday suit), apply ample SPF and enjoy the sun. It’s also a time for young people to frolic and canoodle, and in the case of these lesser-known summer movies, get into all sorts of trouble. From boys who are mistaken as terrorists (!!) to Northern British girls making suicide pacts, we promise you these summer adventures are nothing like your trip to horse camp as a tween. Or maybe they are! So as the summer haze sets in, enjoy these compelling, funny, bittersweet summer coming-of-age movies.
Naz & Maalik
Naz and Maalik have a secret — and it’s not that they’re radicalized Muslims, you jerk. This 2015 drama, directed by Jay Dockendorf, is a beautiful slice-of-life tale about two young men (Kerwin Johnson Jr. and Curtiss Cook Jr.) in Brooklyn who spend a hot summer day together, go to mosque, ride bikes and steal kisses. When an FBI agent gets a shoddy tip that the two boys’ secrecy may be related to terrorism, Naz and Maalik are forced to face their secret relationship coming out. This Richard Linklater-esque drama is an interesting look at an underrepresented group of people who don’t often see their stories told on screen.
Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Roku, Tubi, and Kanopy. Rentable on Amazon, Vudu and Apple TV.
Summer Storm
Any movie that contains the word Queerschlag is okay in our book. This 2004 German comedy by Marco Kreuzpaintner is about a rowing competition between teen boys and girls that descends into chaos when the girls bow out and the gay rowing team, the aforementioned Queerschlag (German for Queerstrokes!), show up to take their place. Tobi (Robert Stadlober), a closeted rower on the boys’ team, is rocked by the out and proud gays of Queerschlag and decides to confide his feelings to his best friend and crush, Achim (Kostja Ullmann). Hijinks ensue when a storm hits right before the regatta, with wet shirtless boys galore. Prost to this fun, sexy movie.
Rentable on Vudu.
My Summer of Love
This 2004 Paweł Pawlikowski movie asks, “what if Heavenly Creatures but nobody murders their mother at the end?” and honestly, we’re here for it. When Mona (Natalie Press), a working class girl in Yorkshire, meets the well-to-do Tamsin (Emily Blunt, in her film debut — hey girl!), the two embark on a manic, possibly dangerous romance, complete with suicide pact. Mona and Tamsin bond over their respective crappy lives: Mona’s violent brother, Phil (Paddy Considine), has just returned from jail and claims to be Born Again, while Tamsin has supposedly lost her sister to anorexia. The two girls become more and more entangled and co-dependent, but My Summer of Love doesn’t quite reach the insane levels of Heavenly Creatures.
Rentable on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Redbox and DirecTV.
Eternal Summer
Leste Chen’s 2006 coming-of-age drama tells the story of Jonathan (Ray Chang) and Shane (Joseph Chang), two boys who have little in common but share a close friendship throughout their childhood and adolescence. Jonathan, who was asked to befriend the less studious Shane as a child, has now fallen head over heels for his buddy, but Shane is either unaware or unwilling to acknowledge his friend’s feelings — until a fateful encounter that changes everyone’s lives one summer. This bittersweet movie may not be an upbeat summer flick, but the cast’s soulful performances make for characters you root for.
Now streaming on Netflix.
The kicker…
Let’s flash back to summer 2015, when hopes were high and Hillary Clinton was hot on her campaign trail for President. In this amazing Saturday Night Live cold open, folks are just trying to enjoy their summer when Clinton (the always amazing, openly gay Kate McKinnon) interrupts to campaign. We all know how this one ended, but hey, she tried!
