WATCH: If you love ‘Heartstopper,’ you can’t miss this sweet coming-of-age romance

Our teenage years are a time of constant change (and awkwardness), but most of us can probably pinpoint that one summer.

You know, the specific one that fundamentally shifted our point of view, opened our eyes to possibility, and charted a course for our future.

If that sounds like hyperbole, well… that’s just how it can feel to be young and in love sometimes. And it’s a feeling captured perfectly in the coming-of-age story, Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe.

Based off author Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s award-winning YA novel of the same name, the film takes us back to one fateful summer in 1987, to the hot and hazy town of El Paso, Texas, which sits on the U.S.-Mexican border.

There, we’re introduced to teenaged Aristotle “Ari” Mendoza (Max Pelayo) and Dante Quintana (Reese Gonzales), who meet and quickly bond over their peculiar, philosophical names.

Over the next few months, the pair builds a tight bond as they bring one another out of their shells. The laugh, they swim, they read, they meet one another’s families, they play in the rain. They become inseperable.

As summer comes to an end, Dante, sadly, must move with his family to Chicago. Before he leaves, he tells Ari how he really feels about him, though he doesn’t get the response he hoped for.

But their story is far from over. The two remain penpals, and Aristotle And Dante Discover follows their parallel journeys of self-discovery as they figure out what they want out of their lives—and how they feel about each other.

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From trans filmmaker Aitch Albetro (who directed the low-budget queer punk romance, Hara Kiri), Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe also stars Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives) as Dante’s mother, and Eugenio Derbez (CODA) as Ari’s father.

After premiering last fall at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it had a warm reception, the feature will next come to Los Angeles where it will open the 41st edition of Outfest, Hollywood’s premier LGBTQ+ film festival.

Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe opens in theaters on September 8. You can watch the firs trailer for the film below:

Related:

‘Edge Of Seventeen’ & ‘Another Gay Sequel’ filmmaker looks back on the challenges of telling gay stories

Between filming “in the closet” and working with adult entertainer Mermen, Todd Stephens opens up about bringing two very different movies to life.