When 16-year-old Alexis capsizes off the coast of Normandy, 18-year-old David heroically saves him. Alexis has just met the friend of his dreams, who opens his eyes to a new horizon of friendship, art and sexual bliss.
- sndys7June 21, 2026Summer of 85 is a touching and emotionally engaging coming-of-age story with an interesting storyline that keeps you invested throughout. What I appreciated most is how it explores emotions and experiences that are rarely shown in more heteronormative films, making it especially relatable for many LGBTQ+ viewers. The performances and emotional moments feel genuine, and the film captures the intensity of young love and self-discovery well. My main criticism would be the cinematography. While it gets the job done, some scenes felt visually simple and could have been shot in a more creative or impactful way. Still, the strong storytelling and emotional depth more than make up for these shortcomings. A heartfelt film that offers a perspective not often seen in mainstream coming-of-age movies.
- Charles LondonFebruary 22, 2025This foreign-language art house film from French director Francois Ozon is set in 1985 and features a young summer romance with a gay theme. As expected, the bliss of such forbidden love can't exist without paying a heavy price. While this movie is not entirely original, the writing is fresh enough and the acting is sincere enough to make it a solid entry into LGBTQ cinema.
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Summer of 85 was released on July 14, 2020.
Summer of 85 was directed by François Ozon.
Summer of 85 has a runtime of 1h 41m.
Summer of 85 was produced by Nicolas Altmayer, Eric Altmayer.
When 16-year-old Alexis capsizes off the coast of Normandy, 18-year-old David heroically saves him. Alexis has just met the friend of his dreams, who opens his eyes to a new horizon of friendship, art and sexual bliss.
The key characters in Summer of 85 are Alexis Robin (Félix Lefebvre), David Gorman (Benjamin Voisin), Kate (Philippine Velge).
Summer of 85 is rated Not Rated.
Summer of 85 is a Drama, Romance film.
Summer of 85 has an audience rating of 8 out of 10.
Summer of 85 had a budget of $6.9M.
Summer of 85 has made $3.6M at the box office.