Cruel Summer (2016) User Reviews

Tells a story, but doesn't offer anything more

[jtindahouse · 6/10 · 30 April 2017]

I'm a little torn over how I feel about 'Cruel Summer'. It's based on a true story, which makes the pretty horrific theme of the film even tougher to stomach. It's certainly a movie that pulls no punches and I always appreciate that in a movie. Showing everything and not holding back is a way of honouring your audience and showing them respect.

My problem with the film though is that I'm not sure it earns the right to show what it does. What I mean by that is that a film has to do more than simply be a retelling of events. It also needs to provide commentary and subliminal opinions, otherwise it might as well be a dramatisation featured in a documentary. I felt that 'Cruel Summer' was too simple in its approach. At times it doesn't even feel like a movie you are watching.

This film is certainly not for the faint-hearted. There are some pretty horrific images featured here that are definitely not going to be to everyone's liking. It's a watchable movie, that could have been more.

Enter at your own riskp08

[FilmGeek22 · 5/10 · 29 March 2017]

I'll be straight with you. From a technical aspect, the film crew did a very good job. As far as The writing, The setup is quite unclear and feels forced. om from a human with emotions aspect, I will never watch this film again due to the graphic nature. I cried. A character with a mental disability is beat to death. I cannot believe I even finished this film. Prayers for the real life family.

Not based on a true story.

[cinemagick · 4/10 · 19 August 2020]

This film implies it's based on a true story which I think is dishonest. It's loosely "inspired" by a few different notable violent crimes. Presenting it as based-on-a-true-story is a cheap way to make their movie seem more legitimate. The main characters are trashy and uninteresting. No depth. No real emotion. To the reviewer favorably comparing this to Bully and Boys Don't Cry, you are either part of the film crew or completely ignorant when it comes to filmmaking and story telling. This film is somehow managed to be pretensious and trashy at the same time.

I made the mistake of watching this.

[aleistad-1 · 2/10 · 26 March 2017]

Like another reviewer said, I suspect the producer's intention was a cash in on gratuitous violence, rather than exploring the story and making a commentary. I do not mind tragic movies, but this was not done right in my opinion. Inasmuch as it's based on a true story, this movie must be very hurtful for the relatives of the protagonist.

Distasteful cinema and a missed opportunity. It just left me angered at the filmmakers as much as the evil characters depicted. The latter were too simplistically portrayed. None of the actors were actually bad though.

This movie made me angry

[ArcherAdam · 7/10 · 8 August 2019]

I can't remember the last time I had trouble getting through a movie. The brutality against Danny was so very hard to watch that I had to walk away from it twice. I liked Danny, and there were periods where I had to turn away because I didn't want to see what was going to happen to him next. I had a visceral reaction, alternating between sadness and anger, often within seconds. The abrupt ending was a letdown, but it's beautifully shot, the script is strong, the acting is exceptional - and I never want to lay eyes on this movie again.

Dreadful

[seven-johnson · 1/10 · 23 November 2017]

Based on a true story...

Other reviews have stated this was gratuitously violent and that bothered other reviewers. It was gratuitous, but it wasn't the violence that bothered me, this film just comes across as a cynical cash-in of a tragic story.

OK, it gets one star for nice cinematography and that is the only redeeming feature. Other than that, dreadful D-list acting and a very clumsy script - everyone but the camera crew are probably asking "want fries with that" at the moment.

I work with Autism, it's a complex disability, no two autistic people are alike, just like you and I - but they do act "autistic" unlike the main character, who really puts on a shocking and kinda sickening attempt at "acting" (no, just the burger thanks).

It's a shame, this could have been a moving and insightful film - there is a nice visual aesthetic, but everything else is completely broken.

They Must Have Short Summers in the UK

[thesar-2 · 7/10 · 10 June 2018]

The poster and title - sooo misleading. In fact, it's pretty CRUEL they used a horror-movie themed advertisement to sell a dramatic story that takes place in less than 24 hours, let alone a whole "summer."

Movie posters and trailers are often deceptive, but it's their job to sell their product. The actual substance of this "true story," is NOTHING like the Friday the 13th-type poster and title. Thankfully, I was not tricked as I had read the synopsis before clicking on this movie to watch. But, looking back, while writing this, I'm appalled at the artwork for the film and title. I mean, as stated, this all takes place in less than 24 hours, not the typical 3-months of summer.

Another flaw, if you can call the person who named this and advertisers "flaws" for the film, itself, is the substance. The movie is incredibly short for such a horrific "real life-inspired" event and even at its 80 minutes, the actual movie ends at minute 72 with 8 astounding minutes of credits. Additionally, all-but nothing happens for the first 45-50 minutes, so you'll have basically 22 bona fide minutes of actual substance of the "inspired events."

Now, that all said, those approximately 22 minutes are extreme, shocking and further detriments the title. It wasn't "cruel," it was inhuman. "Disgustingly evil" would describe those last 22 minutes.

Basically one hot head loses his mind and reverts back to pre-primate thinking after a break up. He concocts a lie with one of his blokes after he hears of another lie of a young autistic boy sleeping with his now ex. The entire premise of the lies is weak, but apparently, the hot head needs his vengeance out on someone and the power he absorbs by manipulating and controlling a girl who fancies him and his mate is intoxicating to him.

Meanwhile, the autistic boy, probably his first ever trip out alone from his parents in the wilderness is completely content with his accomplishments of camping alone. He truly looks at peace. And that's what makes the events that follow, that fateful Saturday, when the 3 bad teens meet up with him and punish him (BAD) for absolutely nothing...all the more unbelievably torturous to see.

Anyone getting mistreated by bullies is bad enough, but to see how this completely innocent and at peace autistic boy is tortured so one alpha male can release some anger...is an abomination.

Not sure the intentions of the filmmakers. To tell the story of the non-eventful events leading up to the tragic story and show the monsters these pricks were, or to cash in on the event for film-rights. For, once the story concludes - and believe me, I was completely and utterly emotional, it just abruptly ends, giving us a description of what happened next in 3 short sentences for what probably dragged on for months, if not years.

I will say this: despite any intentions, the movie was beautifully shot, well-acted, believable and those last 22 minutes, including the VERY last 3-4, were so emotional for me, it's almost worth a recommendation. But, it's hard to tell someone else to see this when probably no one should ever.

Unless they want to know true evil of some dumb bloke.

***

Final thoughts: Since this movie is so heavy, I'd like to finish on a lighter note: I loved the song "Cruel Summer" by BOTH Bananarama and Ace of Base in my younger days. That's all. Nothing about the movie and no, they play neither song in the movie. Spoiler? Ha.

The Reason I Have A Problem With This Movie...

[flowerstardust1979 · 3/10 · 5 June 2021]

So it's based on a true story. Loosely based on from something I remember about a handicapped boy being tortured.

This film was just basically 3/4 of scummy people being scummy, no interesting plot whatsoever, 1/4 horrific torture and violence. The end.

It didn't even make sense other than the main nasty character just felt like going after this autistic boy because he was a complete and utterly psychopath? Because he could?!

The story would of been better told by having the horrific incident in the middle and the legal outcome and the effect on his parents to complete the story's end.

For me it was just horrific to watch and it very much felt like violence for violence sake. I didn't enjoy it, neither could I respect it as a film.

A repulsive story and very difficult to watch, but actually a good movie.

[johannes2000-1 · 7/10 · 6 January 2019]

It is a bit hard to judge this movie. The picture on the cover of the dvd made it seem like a standard horror flick and the synopsis on the back gave the impression of a torture & (possibly) revenge type of thing. But in fact it's more like a documentary than a movie (even the length of the movie hints at that, it hardly fills up more than an hour) and the brutal action is totally one-way: an innocent and mentally invalid youngster is getting harassed and eventually killed by an obnoxious and uncontrollable psychopath and his subservient clique. That's it, the end, save some written information about the later verdicts to the culprits, since it seems to be all based on true facts.

Well, this movie is certainly not my idea of entertainment, and if I had known before I wouldn't have watched it, because it's downright repulsive and extremely unsettling. But I have to be honest, within this context it is actually not a bad movie at all. Script and direction are very good, the tension is slowly but cleverly being built up while we follow alternately aggressive Nicholas, in whom we gradually see his anger and consequently the menacing danger mounting, and carefree Danny who is so proud to be alone on his little camping trip. The photography is beautiful and I do not agree with the negative comments here about the acting, I was impressed by all four main characters. Richard Pawulski plays the autistic Danny very convincingly, his panic and bewilderment during the attack is heartbreaking. Natalie Martins is equally good as the hanger-on, being torn between alarm at what is happening (due to her own machinations, by the way) and the urge to please her agressive idol. Even Reece Douglas in the smaller part of Calvin does a great job, going from reluctant bystander to being disgusted and running cowardly away.

But the major star (if I may use such a trivial term in this kind of movie) is Danny Miller as the aggressive Nicholas. His attitude is hair-raisingly scary from the first minute we see him, we watch him fume and boil and building up his anger like a volcano that is about to burst, which in the end it actually does. Most notable and unnerving moment is probably when in the heat of his attack he takes one break to catch his breath and then shouts: "I just cannot stop" and like a savage continues his assault. It really chilled me to the bone!

It would be interesting to know the agenda of the makers of this film. Is it meant as as a kind of documentary? As a warning? Or were they just using the real facts to make a harsh thriller and attract horror-fans?

So in the end I hardly know how to rate this. Well, on account of the direction, the photography and the acting I think I rank it 7 out of 10.

Deeply unpleasant

[lee-s1974 · 1/10 · 7 March 2017]

This is a deeply unpleasant piece of cinema, which is very difficult to watch. The violence is horrific and I really struggle to find any redeeming qualities in this film. I regret watching it due to the relentless, gratuitous violence. It felt like the film maker was reveling in this sick violence and trying to get the viewer involved or to enjoy it in some sort of way. In my view this was totally unnecessary, ruined what could have been an exceptional film and left a nasty taste. This is not entertainment but violence porn. Avoid.

Bullying at its worst

[andyreading666 · 9/10 · 27 June 2017]

I gave this film a 9 due to sentimental reasons. As a parent of an autistic child, this film brought out the cruelty of human beings and also the vulnerability.

The acting by the three stooges at times was a bit meh, but the acting of Danny was spot on.

I hope the film shows awareness towards people who are a bit different. Autism isn't a disease.

The film also shows those individuals as bullies. This is reality folks.

A short film which shows the good and bad in people.

'Horrific'

[shazburns · 6/10 · 26 July 2018]

This film actually left me feeling like totally shocked. It brings it all to home how petty lies can cause so much damage. The whole movie felt like a documentary. It's not what I would class as a horror but it will be keeping me awke tonight.

Not really sure of the point of this film

[echou76 · 5/10 · 15 September 2018]

I watched this film and I wasn't really sure what to make of it. I don't know anyone personally with autism, so I won't state an opinion on whether or not the lead actor's portrayal was accurate. But Cruel Summer seems just like an extended snuff film, even thought the snuff all came in the last 15 minutes. Up until then it was just an exercise in showing stupid, ignorant, disgusting people and how they can be manipulative, deceiptful and violent.

The main character / victim is a complete innocent that is caught up in horrible circumstances, none of his own doing. And the other three characters are completely irredeemable a-holes who deserve nothing more than death. Even the one bully that the film tries to evoke sympathy for was just too stupid for me to even care about.

But that being said, my words may be harsh since teenagers are impressionable, irrational and prone to doing stupid things. Maybe this movie was just showing how far that can go? I don't know. Can't say I liked this movie, but I didn't dislike it either. Just really didn't get the point of it. And the way the boy was murdered at the end definitely has similarities to a real life murder that happened in the UK years ago. But the lead up is definitely fiction.

how can someone love a movie like this

[lhardwick69 · 1/10 · 8 March 2017]

the fact that this movie is based on a true story and see what these people did to an autistic boy--and sit there type a review saying you love it..there is some movies for entertainment and some that's not--this is one of them..would you want this to happen to you and let a movie be made about it and people say dude I loved it it was freaking awesome --what they did to you was sweet--get real..

this is hard to watch for the fact its based on true story and I imagine its pretty detailed in what happened was accurate-- spoiler spoiler--it takes one girl to make a comment and the guy wants make him pay for it--the rumor isn't the point of the movie besides the fact its about another girl and the autistic boy--

in the end--no justice is served for the guy-- they should been put in woods with a bunch of rapists and murderers and dealt with--people say that's wrong and barbaric--but what they did to him and get to sit in a prison cell for few yrs or for life isn't justice they are alive and he isn't--

Drawn out

[brashearbags · 14 November 2020]

This movie would have been good if they would have sped it up a bit. So long and sewn out meaningless side plots that it made the movie not very good.

You will not enjoy watching this movie...

[Dragoneyed363 · 7/10 · 22 October 2021]

This isn't a film that is meant to teach any kind of life lesson. It is not meant to "entertain" or cash in on anything. It is the retelling of a true horrific event, and it does it incredibly well.

Autistic Danny is heading out for what is most likely the first camping trip and/or solo experience of his life (the film doesn't clarify that). An angry, domineering ex of one of Danny's female friends is haggled into believing (or simply uses it as an excuse to torture him) that this autistic kid had sex with her by another girl who fancies him. They recruit a third member of their party and come up with the plan to "teach him a lesson" after next making the third guy believe Danny is a pedophile and would rape his little sister given the chance... And so ensues the movie.

Incredibly simplistic in it's nature, Cruel Summer actually erupts a lot of emotions in the viewer, or should if you have a soul. I don't like feeling like this after a movie, but nowhere in the fabric of this movie is meant to make you "feel good". Anger, disgust, dumbfoundedness and shame are some of the emotions I personally felt watching it.

To sum it up: The cinematography of the movie is pretty perfect. The serene captures of nature and the lakeside make you feel just as calm and comfortable as Danny is in his profound moments and also help set the rising mood of angst and terror because you know what is coming to him, so it has a lot of tension build-up without really having to put forth much effort, and sadly it follows through with some extremely uncomfortable final scenes.

I will not have to watch this movie ever again because the experience was enough. I do not recommend this movie but as you can see I gave it a 7. That is because it did what it set out to do: Shock and infuriate with a true story, but it was too well made for me to say it isn't worth watching.

Directing and Cinematography: A- Acting performances: B+ (The only female actor was the weakest link but she wasn't necessarily bad... And the lead bully had some questionable moments...)

The only other movie of incredibly similar nature I can think of and recommend if you "liked" this movie or it spoke to you on any level is Eden Lake. Just replace the autistic Danny with a lovely couple, change the story a little and add a few more bullies. (Eden Lake however is not based on a true story, but is definitely grittier...)

Thanks for reading! Hope my review has helped. (:

Not Palatable at all

[mort-44687 · 2/10 · 18 September 2018]

It would seem this movie was inspired by the "scythe killing on camping holiday" of Terry Hurst in 2004/5? which does indeed make it all the more frightning - Unfortunately despite some great camera work the acting is absolutely terrible , most noteworthy Danny Miller as the lead protaganist Nicholas

Natalie Martins and Richard Pawulski are slightly better - According to interviews with some of the cast - there were a lot of improvised dialogue and it does show - where did they get the "actors" who played Danny's Mum and Dad from ????

It was a brave attempt to tell this story - but I feel with a better cast and director it could have been so much better.

A Cool Summer Flick

[shawnblackman · 6/10 · 17 June 2018]

A freshly dumped man finds out his ex was sleeping with an autistic boy at school, so he grabs two friends and sets out for him.

This was a slow burner that was well done. It sucks you right in and then mortifies you. The flick is along the same lines as Bully and Boys Don't Cry but a little more dark and is based on a true story.

I was waiting to hear the Bananarama song Cruel Summer but there must have been some rights issues so you don't hear it. It does get heavy at he end so it might not be for everybody but all around a good flick.

I felt guilty just watching this.

[lindsayrock · 1/10 · 27 June 2017]

I never write reviews but this film was so upsetting I had to. It is about three people who are all involved in killing an autistic boy. They are cruel to him and kill him. And that is it. No revenge, nothing. You are told what their sentences are but there is no court case, investigation, nothing. A complete waste of my time. I love horror films and have watched thousands but I literally felt sickened. Even if you have a strong stomach and don't mind torture films, don't bother with this. It is just sad and pointless.

This was not an easy watch

[aronharde · 6/10 · 30 October 2023]

Cruel Summer is about a young autistic boy named Danny trying to get some peace by going camping on his own. Meanwhile three other teenagers Nicholas, Julia and Calvin are searching for him to take revenge for something that he has apparently done.

This was a hard watch and the fact that it apparently is based on true events makes the whole thing even worse. On one side you watch Danny just being happy that he has some time on his own being camping and texting his parents how much fun he has. You have calm and peaceful music and really start to empathize with him.

On the other hand you have the three teenagers and follow them through their daily shenanigans searching for Danny. You can immediately tell that Nicholas is the driving force. He is an absolute douchebag and you wish nothing good for him. Julia is just a follower that does everything that Nicholas says without thinking twice. And then there's Calvin whose the only one with a backbone, he questions Nicholas deeds and his search for revenge on Danny. This creates a strong contrasts dependent on who is on screen and how you feel about these characters.

A little bit over half way through the movie they find Danny and start harassing him. It starts off slow but their behavior gets worse by the minute. Like I said this was a really hard watch and definitely was able to set free some emotions. But the movie really takes a time before it starts going. It explores our characters which for me started to get boring after some time. The movie felt longer than it is and with 80 minutes runtime it already is a pretty short movie. However I enjoyed watching it and therefore I think it's underrated. [5,6/10]

Does the guy really believe his girlfriend slept with that boy?

[po-344 · 3/10 · 27 October 2021]

That guy was obviously a moron to start with. To believe his girlfriend slept with this kid who has autism. I would think he would go kill his girlfriend and not the kid with autism...

That whole plot part makes the film idiotic and then the rest of movie just gets worse.

Horrifically brutal depiction of true evil

[geeklegionofdoom · 8/10 · 5 March 2017]

Although not really a Horror film exactly, the movie we a presented with is tragically horrific and harrowing, it is almost a horror movie. A film very similar in plot to the movie Eden Lake. It's essentially, a feature movie of one of those bullying videos that you've seen online, just taken to the extreme. Some minor spoilers a head The Bad - Some small logic issues. It felt like Julia just pulled Danny's name out of thin air. With no real reason why she decided to choose him, it was somewhat jarring. Secondly , we are told that Calvin has just moved to the area and we see him unpacking. So how exactly does he know Nick & Julia? - It has that annoying trope, where it plays a scene from towards the end of the movie at the beginning, then kinda goes back in time and shows you the events leading up. That type of thing is done in too many movies and TV nowadays and undercuts the story as you are waiting for events to lead to this - The acting by the guy who plays Danny's father is not as good as anyone else in the movie.

The Good - Amazing acting, The guy who played Danny was great particularly in his line delivery. But the stand out actors for me were the 3 chav characters. Nicholas, a truly despicable human who you really do hate and portrayed realistically too. Credit it to the actor. Julia, a realistic portrayal of a girl who let her self get talked into things but also manipulates others too. Scenes where she has a painted smile to Danny's parents were very chilling. Calvin , the most layered character who you feel with the right push could get out of the mire and have a better life. - Directing, masterful. Ramping up the tension,making the escalating violence seem hard and real .Great camera work and great pacing. - Considering there isn't a lot of plot in this story you feel utterly engaged 8.5/10 We will have a video review on our Youtube channel ' GEEK LEGION OF DOOM ' if you care to watch it

Good movie with an artsy feel.

[noisyowl · 5/10 · 12 June 2018]

This movie is definitely worth watching but I'm not sure why other reviewers describe this as "unrelenting brutal violence", the worst part of this movie is the fact of who the actions are being done to. Violence is very minimal and nothing is shown besides some blood smeared on a few people and a bag being put over his head, yet he is killed before giving the bag any purpose. Cool movie to watch, good music and visually appealing scenery. But let's not pretend this is some kind of brutal violent horror film, the horror comes from the subject matter, not the visual display of unrelenting gore.

It was decent....

[TodaysHaul317 · 5/10 · 11 February 2024]

Cruel Summer is a 2016 horror film directed by Phillip Escott & Craig Newman. It's based off a true event from Sheffield in 2004 plus inspired by a few other situations from other crimes a few years before. It was finished on a 10 day shoot financed on their own. It opens up with a little preview of the chaos that's about to come later on. Danny (played by: Richard Pawulski from All in the Valley) is a teenager with autism, his escape from reality is the amazing countryside where he likes to camp. He goes in alone to separate himself from everything. It's his favorite distraction from his every day problems. Julia (played by: Natalie Martins from Poltergeist Activity, Kill or be Killed, & The Barge People) makes a outrageous claim against the troubled teen to the wrong person.

This rage motivates a plan of revenge. Lead by Nicholas (played by: Danny Miller from Grange Hill, Emmerdale, & Lightfields) with their other friend Calvin (played by: Reece Douglas from The Knife That Killed Me, Waterloo Road, & Think Again), these 3 are not going to stop anything from righting this wrong committed by Danny last summer but will the other 2 get all the facts before they go too far? Nicholas tells his friends that Danny is a pedophile & only gets away with it because of his disease. The insecure & jaded Nicholas can't stand the fact he thinks Danny had his ex girlfriend Lisa before him when he thought she was a virgin. Julia has created a path of destruction & torture based off her false claims on the innocent Danny. They trick Danny's mom like they are his friends to get information on where to find her son. Calvin & Julia both question this retaliation as Nicholas starts to go way too far on this brutal mission. Lies become a reality to the easily manipulated & their actions can be forgotten. Only the truth can end this sadistic treatment!

Cruel Summer is much more than a social commentary on bullying & how people are treated. When you watch something based off a true story like this it haunts your mind & sticks with you for awhile. It goes further than entertainment & something to just waste time on. Nicholas is one of the most unlikable characters you'll ever see on screen & the fact that he was real makes it much worse. He's the ultimate bully, when I say that I just don't mean for the helpless Danny. He pushes both of his friends to their terrifying limits with no remorse. He brought out something they didn't know they had inside of them. Every time they showed hesitation he made sure that it went away with his aggressive peer pressure. Cruel Summer is honestly hard to watch because Danny doesn't have a hurtful bone in his entire body. He can't defend himself & he doesn't realize what's going on until it's too late. This tragedy could have been stopped with the simple truth but everyone let this brutal event get to the point of no return. It captured the pain, the confliction, & the aftermath when people go too far. Everything from the look, the cast, & the overall production made you forget it was a low budget movie. The isolated setting was like another character in this. This is a great example of where quality over quantity is used right.

Very unsettling but for a small budget film very impressive

[MattyGibbs · 8/10 · 2 July 2017]

Cruel Summer is very much along the lines of Eden Lake. A young adult with autism goes camping for his Duke of Edinburgh award to find himself at the mercy of a young thug with revenge on his mind.

This is a small budget film and a simple plot but nevertheless it's extremely well made and always engrossing if exceptionally uncomfortable viewing. I thought it was very realistic and all the actors involved did a great job. Danny Miller has received rave reviews for his performances in the British soap Emmerdale and it is clear that he is a hugely talented actor that if he wants can go far. The rest of the cast are less well known but all convince.

I found this quite emotionally draining and pretty upsetting and it will live long in the mind. The fact things like this happen makes it all the more sad. The ending was heartbreaking and beautifully done.

This is an unsettling film and not a film to necessarily enjoy as such and therefore won't appeal to everyone. Still for those with the stomach for it this is a brutal but impressive film.